ROME, Ga. –  The No. 10 Valdosta State softball team posted a 9-1 victory on Sunday at Shorter, completing the three-game sweep of the Hawks.  Sophomore Kiley Robb and junior Nicole Pennington each went yard in the victory, while sophomore Samantha Richards had her second solid outing in the circle for the series.
 
VSU head coach Thomas Macera won his 300^th Gulf South Conference game with the victory as he now is 300-101-1 in GSC play for his career.  Macera is in his 16^th year at the helm of the Blazers and is 666-192-2 at VSU.
 
The Blazers improved to 5-1 overall and 3-0 in Gulf South Conference play, scored in five of the six innings of the game, recording their third-straight run-rule game and fourth of the season overall.  Pennington was 2 for 3 with two runs scored, four RBI, one home run and a walk.  Robb finished 1 for 2 with two runs scored, a home run and three RBI, while she walked twice.  Sophomore Hunter Meadows was 2 for 3 with two runs scored.
 
Richards improved to 3-1 on the year, going all six innings, allowing one unearned run, two hits and fanned eight with no walks.  She faced 22 batters and tallied 104 pitches.
 
A walk to freshman Morgan Hill, who has had an outstanding series both on the mound and at the dish, began the game and she stole second followed by a bunt single from Meadows for runners at the corners and nobody out in the top of the first.  Pennington plated both M. Hill and Meadows with a two RBI single to center for a 2-0 lead through the top of the first.
 
Richards had the duties on the mound Sunday in game three, as she tossed her second no-hitter of her career yesterday in the opener to the series.  Richards fanned the first two batters in the bottom of the first and a ground out to third ended the frame.  M. Hill singled home freshman Aniston Gano with two out in the top of the second for a 3-0 advantage for the Blazers.
 
Following a leadoff walk to Pennington in the top of the third, Shorter made a pitching change relieving starter Madison Pettigrew for Jackie O'Reilly.  A walk to L. Hill followed and then Robb blasted her team-leading second home run of the season, a three-run shot for a 6-0 lead.
 
VSU began the fourth with a single from Meadows and then Pennington went yard for a two-run blast and an 8-0 lead, chasing O'Reilly from the game in favor of Julie Sanderlin.  It was Pennington's first long ball of the season and fifth of the season for the Blazers.
 
Shorter tallied its first hit off Richards in the series and just the fourth hit of the series allowed by the Blazers as Angela Cecere singled to left and then advanced to second on a passed ball.  Carlee Graham singled to center, advancing Cecere to third, but Richards came back with a big strikeout – her sixth of the game for the first out of the inning. Kylie League hit a sacrifice fly, getting the Hawks on the board and Richards used a pop out to second to end the inning with the VSU lead cut to 8-1.
 
Blazer junior Baylee Everson hit a bunt single to begin the top of the fifth as VSU had at least one base runner in each inning and scored runs in each of the first four innings.  A walk to Meadows put two on for the Blazers with two away.  Sanderlin was able to get out of the jam with a fly out to right.
 
Shorter went down in order in the fifth as Richards tallied her seventh strikeout of the game in the inning.  In the top of the sixth, Robb began the inning with a walk as VSU's leadoff batter reached base in each of the first six innings.  Robb then stole second and Gano singled her home for a 9-1 score.
 
In the bottom of the sixth, Richards retired the first two batters and then fanned League to end the game for the run-rule victory and her eighth strikeout of the game.
 
Shorter fell to 2-5 on the year and 0-3 in league play as the Hawks tallied one run on two hits for the game.  Pettigrew took the loss in two innings, allowing three hits, four runs – three earned, walked three and fanned one.  Offensively, Cecere and Graham each had the hits for the Hawks, while Cecere scored the lone run.
 
VSU hit .387 for the series with 29 hits, scored 32 runs, with two doubles, four home runs and 31 RBI. The team slugged .573, while reaching base at a .535 clip with 22 walks, two hit batsmen and struck out just 11 times.  VSU was 17 of 17 in stolen bases and had just one error in the three games. 
 
M. Hill hit .636 for the series on 7 of 11 from the dish, scoring six runs to tie for the team lead, along with one double, one home run and drove in five.  She also tied for the team lead in stolen bases, going 3 for 3.  Hill was 1-0 on the mound, going four innings, allowing three hits, one unearned run, walked none and fanned four in the 12-1 win in the nightcap on Saturday. 
 
Both Robb and Pennington each had four hits in the series as Robb led the team with two home runs and slugged a blistering 1.429 and reached base at a .727 clip to lead the team.  Richards went 2-0 with one shutout in 11 innings of work, allowing two hits, one unearned run, walked one and fanned 11.  Shorter hit just .096 against the Blazers for the series, scoring just two runs on five hits in 52 at bats.
 
VSU returns home to open the 2021 slate at Steel's Diamond at Blazer Park, Feb. 27-28 with a three-game series against Mississippi College.