VALDOSTA, Ga. – Behind two home runs by graduate Ally Clegg, and sophomore Mia DeAngelis tossing a no-hitter in game two, the No. 3 Valdosta State softball team completed the Gulf South Conference series sweep versus the Shorter Hawks Sunday afternoon, taking both games 8-0.
The Blazers improved to 19-4 on the year and 11-0 in GSC play while Shorter fell to 4-22 on the year and 1-13 in GSC action.
In game one, the Blazers got on the board first in the bottom of the first inning as Clegg hit a solo blast over the center field wall to give the Blazers an early 1-0 lead. Clegg recorded her fifth home run in game one and repeated in game two for her sixth home run. On Saturday in the series opener, Clegg hit a home run in the bottom of the sixth inning against the Hawks in VSU's 9-1 win.
The game became a pitching duel until the bottom of the fourth inning as sophomore Morgan Hill hit a double down the right-field line to score redshirt senior Baylee Everson, junior Taylor Lewis and freshman Bobbi Poff to bring the score to 5-0 in favor of the Blazers.
After a pitching change by the Hawks, sophomore Aniston Gano hit a double into center field to score hill to bring the score to 6-0.
VSU ended the game early in the bottom of the fifth inning as keen base running and an error by the Hawks allowed sophomore Taylor Macera, who was walked earlier in the frame, and junior Hunter Meadows to score to complete the run-rule, 8-0.
Junior Samantha Richards (14-1) collected the win and had 10 strikeouts and held the Hawks' offense to two hits, no runs, and two walks through 19 batters.
Shorter's pitching staff combined for 10 walks, four hits, eight runs, two being earned, and no strikeouts through 27 Blazer batters.
In game two, the Blazers again jumped ahead in the bottom of the first inning as Clegg and Gano hit two back-to-back home runs to give the Blazers a 2-0 lead. Gano recorded her fifth home run of the season.
In the bottom of the third inning, the Blazers put another one on the board as Gano reached second on an error and Sulte singled down the left-field line to score Gano to bring the score to 3-0.
Macera hit a double in the bottom of the fourth inning to score pinch-runner and sophomore Kayla Tosone to make the score 4-0 in favor of VSU. After Meadows hit an infield double, Hill followed up by doubling into center field, scoring Meadows and Macera, 6-0.
The Blazers collected the second run-rule of the day in the bottom of the fifth inning as the Hawks couldn't get out of a bases-loaded jam with one out. Hill hit a sac fly into right field to score Macera and Everson to end the game at 8-0.
DeAngelis (4-2) tossed a no-hitter as she recorded three strikeouts and held the Hawks' offense to no runs and one walk through 15 batters in five innings of action. She collected her first shutout of the year and knocked her earned run average to 2.54 on the year.
Shorter's pitching staff combined for one strikeout as the Blazers' offense put up eight hits, eight runs, and five walks.
The Blazers are on the road next weekend, March 26 and 27 against Mississippi College in Clinton, Miss. The Blazers will play a doubleheader on March 26 at 2 p.m. ET and round out the GSC road series on March 27 with a single game beginning at 2 p.m. ET.
