VALDOSTA, Ga. – The No. 25 Valdosta State softball team returns home to host Albany State in a doubleheader Tuesday at 4 p.m. at Steel's Diamond at Blazer Park.  The Blazers are coming off a 2-1 weekend at Auburn Montgomery, winning the final two games of the series.  
 
Fans can access links to live stats and streaming of the twin bill at vstateblazers.com on the softball schedule page.  Check back with the site following the games for complete recaps and stats.
 
VSU (10-4, 5-1 GSC) was led last weekend by senior Lacey Crandall, who hit 6 of 11 from the plate with three runs scored, one double and one home run, while driving in three.  She slugged .909 and a team-best .545 average.  Senior Logan Hill blasted two home runs, including the first grand slam of the season for the Blazers.  She was 3 for 9 batting with two runs scored and drove in five.  VSU belted six home runs in the series and outscored the Warhawks, 18-12, while collecting 20 hits (.250 avg.) with three doubles and drove in 17.
 
In the circle, junior Shayne O'Connell saw 11 innings of action in two starts, going 1-0 with a 3.18 ERA, allowing 12 hits, five earned runs, walked seven and fanned 15.  Junior Morgan Cushman went 1-0 in relief in 2.2 innings, allowing four hits, two earned runs, walked none and fanned one.  Sophomore Samantha Richards picked up the save in the 8-6 finale on Sunday.  
 
Big innings by the Blazers were the theme of the series as VSU plated eight runs in the fourth inning in the three games and eight in the sixth inning, while scoring just two runs in the other five innings.  
 
Albany State is 1-9 on the year and got its first win with a split at Flagler in a 1-0 win on Saturday.  Lauren Lowery pitched all seven innings in the shutout win, allowing three hits, walked three and fanned three.  The Golden Rams capitalized on their one hit in walk-off fashion in the bottom of the seventh.  
 
The Golden Rams are led by Rebecca Blanton, as she is hitting .294 on the year from the plate on 5 of 17.  She has scored two runs with two doubles.  Mikiayah Harris is hitting .286 on 8 of 28 from the dish with three runs scored, three doubles, one home run and four RBI.  Destiny Herrera is third in average at .269 with seven hits, two home runs and a team-high seven RBI.  Lowery is 1-3 with a 12.49 ERA in 26.2 innings.  She has allowed 58 hits, 49 runs – 37 earned, walked ten and fanned six.   Lowery has pitched in seven of the ten games this season with five starts, while Sydney Hopkins and Sydney Pettus also have seen action this year.
 
For the season, the Blazers are hitting .263 on 93 of 354 from the dish, while recording 16 doubles, 23 home runs and 72 RBI.  VSU has outscored the opposition 79-37 and is slugging .503, while reaching base at a .358 clip with 48 walks and seven players have been plunked seven times.  The Blazers are 20 of 23 in stolen bases and have nine errors (.976 fielding percentage) leading to ten unearned runs.  
 
Offensively, Hill leads the team with a .432 average on 16 of 37 from the plate.  She has scored 14 runs with four double and a team-high seven home runs, while driving in a team-high 15.  She is slugging 1.108 and reaching base at a .563 clip with 10 walks and hit once.  Crandall is second in average at .357 on 10 of 28, while she has scored four runs with two doubles, one home run and driven in eight.  Sophomore Kiley Robb is third in average at .350 with 14 hits, 14 runs scored, three doubles, five home runs and 11 RBI.  Senior Jordenne Gaten (.302 avg.) has scored 12 runs with 13 hits, five home runs and 11 RBI.  Gaten leads the team in stolen bases, going 6 of 7.  
 
O'Connell (3-2) and Cushman (3-1) each lead the team in wins in the circle.  O'Connell has pitched a team-high 29 innings, allowing 24 hits, 14 runs – seven earned, walked 18 and fanned a team-high 29 for a 1.69 ERA.  Cushman has pitched 23.2 innings, allowing 20 hits, eight runs – seven earned, walked five and fanned 22 for a 2.07 ERA.  Sophomore Samantha Richards is 2-1 with a 1.85 ERA in 22.2 innings, allowing 19 hits, seven runs – six earned, walked six and fanned 25.  She also has two saves on the year.  O'Connell and Cushman each have two complete games this season and one shutout each.  
 
Following the two games, VSU will have the weekend off of games and return to the field Mar. 3, with a doubleheader at 3 p.m. versus Coker.  It will begin a string of nine home games in eight days, ending with a doubleheader against Flagler on Mar. 11.