VALDOSTA, Ga. – The No. 19 Valdosta State baseball team swept its home opening series against Mississippi College, winning the sole Monday game in seven innings 12-1.
 
Monday's win marks the first time the Blazers have swept the Choctaws since the 2016 season in Clinton, Miss. And its first Gulf South Conference sweep since facing Christian Brothers in 2019.
 
The Blazers (3-0) saw 30 of its runners cross home plate to go along with its 41 total hits. VSU tacked on 17 hits during Monday's game which ended after seven innings due to the large lead. E.J. Doskow leads the team with a .583 batting average, along with batting in six runners.
 
VSU will head on the road next week to face Lee in Cleveland, Tenn. with game one set for Friday, Feb. 12, at 2 p.m., and a doubleheader the following day with first pitch set for 12 p.m.
 
#19 Valdosta State 12, Mississippi College 1
Starting pitcher Zach Blankenship sent his first two batters back to the dugout before the Choctaws made it on base after a catcher's interference call. After the runner on first advanced to second due to a balk, Blankenship was able to send the batter at the plate back after he struck him out swinging. After a quick out in the bottom of the first, Chase Coker got the bats hot after he singled up the middle on his second pitch. Nick Lewis in the third spot hit a double deep down the left field line to put himself and Coker in scoring position, setting up Maberry who then singled to left and brought Coker home. Two batters later, Doskow singled up the middle to send Lewis across the plate and make it 2-0 which would eventually be the score after one inning.
 
Mississippi College was able to get its bats going and scored off a passed ball, but left two runners on base after Blankenship struck out the Choctaws. Up to bat in the bottom of the second was catcher Ralph Morla Jr. who got on base after he was hit by a pitch. Ben Rowdon smacked a double off a full count to put runners in scoring position with no outs. Lewis sent one flying down the middle which allowed the runners in scoring position to tack on two more runs and put the Blazers up four. Doskow saw the plate with two outs and cracked a double down the left field line to drive home a runner before the inning ended with the Blazers now up 5-1.
 
The Choctaws were able to find the bases once again, but Blankenship left two stranded to bring the Blazers back up to bat. Jowenrick Daantji hit a double into the gap off a 2-0 count to put himself in scoring position where Morla Jr. laid down a perfect bunt to send himself to first. Both runners advanced after a wild pitch and Daantji found home plate after another wild pitch. Coker doubled down the line while the count was full and brought in Morla Jr. which set Maberry up to smack a single and send Coker home all the way from first. Just like the second innings, the Blazers scored three to increase its lead to 8-1.
 
Both teams came up empty handed during the fourth and Mississippi College came up empty handed in the top of the fifth. After a few Blazers found the base pads during the bottom of the fifth, Lewis singled deep into left center to bring home Ben Rowdon and put the team up eight. Logan Stephens came up to the plater and found center field for a single, driving in Coker just before Doskow added another RBI to his name with a single to center.
 
After a Daantji triple in the bottom of the sixth, Rowdon hit into a double play but send the runner at third home to put the Blazers up 12-1. In the top of the seventh, all the Blazers needed was three outs to end the game in seven innings, which they were able to do after leaving two runners on base.