VALDOSTA, Ga. –  The No. 7 Valdosta State softball team ran its current winning streak to five with a doubleheader sweep of visiting Georgia Southwestern Saturday afternoon at Steel's Diamond at Blazer Park.  VSU won the opener 4-0 and battled back for a 6-5 victory in the nightcap.  The Blazers improved to 16-3 on the year, while GSW fell to 8-5.
 
The Blazers hit .348 for the doubleheader with 16 hits, 10 runs scored, two doubles and three home runs, while holding GSW to just .118 from the dish with six hits, five runs and one home run.  VSU sophomore Samantha Richards went 2-0 in two appearances with one start.  She pitched ten innings, allowing three hits, no runs with two walks and fanned 14 between the two games.  Junior Nicole Pennington went 5 for 6 for the twin bill, scoring two runs with two home runs and four RBI.
 
#7 Valdosta State 4, Georgia Southwestern 0 (Game One)
On the second pitch of the bottom of the first, freshman Morgan Hill took GSW pitcher Shannon Gibson yard for M. Hill's sixth round-tripper of the season.  In the previous meeting this season in Saint Augustine, Fla., at Flagler on Feb. 6, it took both teams until the seventh inning to score.  VSU plated seven runs in the frame for a 7-1 victory.  GSW turned the first double play of the season against VSU to get out of the first inning without further damage.
 
A single and an error on the Blazers on a sacrifice bunt put two on for the Hurricanes in the top of the second with nobody out.  VSU sophomore hurler Samantha Richards came back and got a fielder's choice out at third and fanned the next batter for two away.  Richards walked the second batter of the game to load the bases.  Richards fanned leadoff hitter Kimmie Singer to get out of the jam unscathed. 
 
VSU loaded the bases on three walks by Gibson in the bottom of the second.  Sophomore Hunter Meadows hit a sacrifice fly to left, plating freshman Aniston Gano for a 2-0 lead.  Gibson induced a ground out to second to get out of the inning.  Following a pair of singles to open the bottom of the third, GSW went to the bullpen in favor of Zoe Willis, replacing Gibson.  Willis got out of the jam with three fly outs.
 
A walk to senior Logan Hill and a double off the top of the fence from sophomore Kiley Robb put runners on second and third with two out in the bottom of the fifth.  Gano, on a 2-2 count, laced a double to right plating both runners for a 4-0 lead. 
 
GSW got a one out, infield single in the top of the seventh as Richards had retired 14-straight to that point.  A pop out to short for the second out and Richards retired the final batter for the shutout.  Richards improved to 10-2 on the year going all seven innings, allowing two hits, walked two and fanned eight for her ninth complete game of the year and fourth shutout.
 
Offensively, VSU was led by Pennington, who went 2 for 3, while Gano was 1 for 2 with a run scored, two RBI and a double.  VSU had six hits for the game.  M. Hill tallied the one home run, while Robb was 1 for 3 with a run scored and a double.  
 
#7 Valdosta State 6, Georgia Southwestern 5 (Game Two)
M. Hill got the first two outs of the top of the first, but a pair of errors by the Blazers plated a run for the Hurricanes.  She froze the next batter for her second strikeout of the game to get out of the jam with runners at the corners.
 
In the bottom of the first with one on, Pennington took starter Hannah Holloway deep for a two run home run and her seventh home run of the season for a 2-1 lead.  Holloway was pulled after a single to left from senior Logan Hill for three-straight hits to begin the inning. Willis, who replaced Holloway, fanned two and got a fly out to center to get out of the inning.
 
Two singles and an error put runners at second and third for the Blazers in the bottom of the second.  M. Hill hit a bunt to perfection on a suicide squeeze for a 3-1 lead, followed by an RBI single from Pennington for a 4-1 lead.  A walk to L. Hill loaded the bases with one out.   Willis got out of the inning without further damage.
 
The third Blazer error of the game put runners at first and third for the Hurricanes with one out in the third. Willis helped herself with a two RBI single up the middle for a 4-3 deficit.  Katelyn Wood belted a two run home run to center for a 5-4 GSW lead and her fourth home run of the season.
 
Junior Baylee Everson hit a single over the third baseman's head for runners at the corners with one out in the bottom of the third.  Willis fanned M. Hill with two out to get out of the threat as VSU left two on in the inning and six stranded for the game.
 
Pennington tied the game with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the fourth for her second round-tripper of the game and a 5-5 score.  Richards replaced M. Hill in the circle for the top of the fifth.  Richards retired the Hurricanes in order. 
 
A pair of errors on the same play put Meadows at second to begin the bottom of the sixth.  M. Hill moved her to third with a sacrifice bunt.  L. Hill hit a sacrifice fly to right, plating Meadows for a 6-5 lead.  Richards retired the Hurricanes in order to end the game.  She pitched the final three innings, earning the victory in relief, allowing one hit and fanned six as she improved to 11-2 on the year.
 
For the nightcap, VSU was led by Pennington, who went 3 for 3 with two runs scored and four RBI on a pair of home runs.  M. Hill went 2 for 3 with a run scored and one RBI.  GSW had just four hits in the game, but had five rounds courtesy of the home run from Wood and the big hit from Willis.  Willis took the loss also in relief, going six innings, allowing seven hits, four runs – three earned, walked three and fanned five.  Holloway didn't retire a batter, allowing three hits, two earned runs in three batters faced.
 
VSU closes its homestand next weekend with a huge three-game series against rival West Florida, Mar. 27-28.  The series is set for a doubleheader Mar. 27 at 2 p.m., followed by a single game Mar. 28 at 1 p.m.