CLEVELAND, Tenn. – The Valdosta State baseball team swept Lee in its doubleheader in its first day of weekend away series. The Blazers took the first game 8-7 and the second game 4-3. VSU improved to 9-4 on the season and 4-1 in Gulf South Conference play while the Flames dropped to 8-5 overall and 2-2 in the GSC.
 
The Blazers finish the away series tomorrow, Sun., Feb. 27 at 1 p.m.
 
For the day, the Blazers tallied 17 hits, 9 RBI, two doubles, and nine walks.
 
GAME ONE (VSU 8, LU 7)
The game went scoreless till the fourth when Lee got on the board first with three runs scored from a two-run home run and two RBI double.
 
The Blazers answered back and added two in the fifth inning off one hit and two Lee errors as junior Ryan Romano and redshirt senior Luke Ard crossed home plate.
 
As they took the lead in the sixth, the Blazers added three more runs while graduate student Mike Christopoulos and junior Jose Crisostomo Bock both singled and sophomore Jacob Harper doubled. Christopoulos, Bock, and Harper all scored. The Flames also added one in the sixth, but the Blazers still held the lead 4-3. 
 
Both teams had matching frames to finish the game adding two in the eighth and one in the ninth. Freshman Ryan Villaman and Romano scored in the eighth for the Blazers and Harper scored in the ninth as VSU took the game 8-7.
 
Leading the offense for the Blazers was Ard, junior David Crawford, and Romano. Ard went 3-5 at the plate with two RBI, one walk, and scored once. Crawford went 2-6 and Romano went 1-4 with one walk and two runs scored. Junior EJ Doskow, senior Jisjar Clotida, Christopoulos, junior Bryson Gandy, Harper, and Bock also recorded one hit each for the Blazers.
 
Senior Elijah Gill started on the mound for the Blazers and recorded the win (3-1). He threw five innings and struck out five while he gave up 10 hits, four runs, and walked one.
 
Sophomore Nick Ferrara, junior Brandon Raiden, and sophomore Scott Curran also pitched for the Blazers. Curran recorded the save (1) throwing two innings while he struck out two and gave up four hits, two runs, and one free pass.
 
GAME TWO (VSU 4, LU 3)
The Blazers started game two strong getting on the board first with two runs in the first and second. In the first inning, Ard got hit by a pitch and Romano singled as both crossed home plate. In the second, Harper singled through the left side and scored as Romano got on from a Flame error and scored again.
 
The Blazers went scoreless for the rest of the game while the Flames added one in the fifth and two in the sixth, but it was not enough as VSU took the second game 4-3.
 
Hits for the Blazers were tallied by Romano (1), Ard (1), Crawford (1), Clotida (1), and Harper (1). Ard, Crawford, and Clotida also tallied the three RBI.
 
Starting on the mound for the Blazers was sophomore JJ Finn as he recorded the win (3-0). Finn threw four innings, recorded four strikeouts while he gave up six hits, one run, and walked two.
 
Raiden, Curran, and graduate student Adrian Garrastazu also pitched for the Blazers. Garrastazu recorded the save (1) as he threw two innings and recorded two strikeouts while he gave up one hit and walked one.