Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 VALDOSTA, Ga. - The No. 19 Valdosta State Blazers split a doubleheader versus Union, dropping game one 4-2 in extra innings, and coming back with an 11-1 win in eight.
 
The Blazers (12-6, 11-5 Gulf South Conference) forced extra innings in the bottom of the ninth with a deep ball from David Maberry with two outs but fell in 10. The Blazers came back with heavy bats and won decisively in eight innings. Nick Lewis led the doubleheader with three RBI as Maberry led the Blazers with his four hits and was able to bat in two batters. The Blazers pitching came up big, highlighted by winning pitcher Tristan Cone, as VSU combined for 27 strikeouts and just eight hits. Cone saw 5.1 innings during game two and struck out six with three hits. Elijah Gill fanned 13 batters during game one in seven innings pitched, allowing just one run. The Blazers finished Saturday with 17 hits and ran up 13 runs during the split.
 
The Blazers get back to it tomorrow to cap off its weekend series against Union with a single game set for 1 p.m. Fans can access links to live stats, audio/video streaming and ticket information for the games at vstateblazers.com on the baseball schedule page.
 
UNION 4, #19 VALDOSTA STATE 2 (10 Inn.)
 
Union was the first team on the board after it hit a two-out homerun during the top of the third to bring in one run before the Blazers got out of the inning three batters after, leaving two stranded on base.
 
Strong pitching from both teams made it a low scoring gave as Union still had the edge. The Blazers only recorded two hits through six innings of play where Union was one foot ahead with three hits along with its sole run. Both teams saw a hit in the seventh, but strong defensive efforts from the infield quickly turned it away with Union still having a one-run advantage.
 
The Blazers were able to get a little rhythm going in the eighth after EJ Doskow doubled into the gap. Jordan Holt came in for Doskow to try and reach home where he got 90 feet away after he stole third. The Blazers were close, but a fielder's choice saw Holt out at home to keep the Blazers scoreless.
 
The Bulldogs only sent up three batters in the top of the ninth before the Blazers were able to make one last effort to tie the game. The first two Blazers were sent back to the dugout after a strikeout and a groundout which brought up Maberry. With two outs and one more strike to spare, Maberry hit a moonshot towards right center that flew out of the park to tie the game up at one.
 
Union kept up though as its baserunner that was already in scoring position, due to the international baseball extra inning rule, found home off a wild pitch. After a Bulldog fanned on strike three to give it two outs, Union continued to rally, taking advantage of the Blazers errors. Another wild pitch brought home a baserunner at third followed by an RBI walk to give it a three-run lead. For the Blazers, Jisjar Clotida found home to cut the deficit to a pair of runs but the Bulldogs retired the last batter to take game one 4-2.
            
#19 VALDOSTA STATE 11, UNION 1 (8 Inn.)
 
Neither team saw a hit after the first with the only baserunner coming from a walk by the Blazers. A double in the top of the second put Union's first runner in scoring position, something VSU controlled to leave him stranded to get out of the inning.
 
The Blazers started to find some ground in the third, securing its first hit from a Seth Caballes single to get things started. Caballes made his way to third after a wild pitch and interference, putting him 90 feet from home plate. After the Bulldogs forced an out, the next two Blazers drew walks to jack the bases. A third straight walked batter gave Caballes the go ahead to cross home plate and give the Blazers a 1-0 lead. That was all for VSU though, where it left three runners stranded.
 
After the Bulldogs left one stranded, the Blazers kept rolling from the innings before with an RBI single from Logan Stephens to bring in Chase Coker from second. Stephens found second off a stolen base as well as third off a wild pitch but was left on the base pads where Union forced a third out.
 
A one-two-three inning brought the Blazers offense up quickly, leading off with a double from Lewis. Maberry immediately took advantage of the lead-off hitter in scoring position as he knocked down a deep single to bring Lewis in. The Blazer's bats were hot as it tallied three hits in the fifth but only brought in one with two stranded. Union was able to tack on one of its own during the sixth to cut the lead to two.
 
The Blazers answered big after Stephens got things started with a double. Two batters found the base pads to bring up Lewis who hit a bases clearing double deep into left center for three RBI. VSU didn't stop there as a Maberry single followed by a wild pitch brought Lewis home for a huge four run inning.
 
Both teams were hitless in the seventh and the Bulldogs went three up and three down to bring up VSU. Just like in the sixth, the Blazers took off as Jowenrick Daantji singled to load the bases. An error caused Holt to cross home plate followed by a two RBI single from Ryan Delnegro to increase the lead to 10-1. Collin Teegarden got in on the action after he was hit by a pitch which brought in a runner to end the game in eight innings, 11-1.