VALDOSTA, Ga. – The No. 19 Valdosta State baseball team split its doubleheader with Mississippi College Saturday as Blazers took the first game 11-6 and the Choctaws won the second game 9-5.
The series will conclude with a single game tomorrow, Sunday, March 26 at 2 p.m. E.T. Fans can access links to live stats and streaming of the game at vstateblazers.com on the baseball schedule page.
The Blazers improved to 18-6 overall and 10-3 in Gulf South Conference play and the Choctaws stand at 11-18 overall and 6-8 in the GSC.
Game One (VSU 11, MC 6)
The Blazers got on the board first in the first inning with a triple from junior Bryson Gandy as he crossed home plate from a single by junior Ryan Romano. The Choctaws answered back with five runs in the first, including a grand slam, to take the lead.
Valdosta State added two in the second from a two-run home run by senior Jisjar Clotida, plating graduate student Mike Christopoulos. The Choctaws added one in the third for a 6-3 score.
The Blazer defensive held Mississippi College at six runs with a big rally. VSU plated three more runs in the fourth to tie the game as Christopoulos scored again and Gandy hit a two-run home run to score sophomore Jacob Harper.
The Blazers took the lead with a huge eighth inning by adding five runs for the 11-6 margin.
Valdosta State recorded a season-high of 19 hits as MC tallied eight hits. The Blazers also tallied 11 RBI, four doubles, one triple, two home runs, one stolen base, and one free pass.
Romano led the Blazer offense going 4 for 5 with two RBI and one run scored followed by junior David Crawford going 3 for 5 with a double and the only stolen base. Along with his home run, Gandy recorded one triple. Clotida, Anthony Gutierrez, and Harper all recorded doubles.
Senior Elijah Gill started on the mound for the Blazers and went seven innings to record the win and move to 6-1 on the season. Gill recorded 11 strikeouts for a season high and gave up six hits, six runs, one earned, and one walk. Sophomore Nick Ferrara relieved Gill throwing the final two innings.
Game Two (MC 9, VSU 5)
The game became tied early in the first as both teams put three on the board. For the Blazers, Gandy, junior EJ Doskow, and sophomore Carson Neal all crossed home plate for a 3-0 lead. MC responded in kind with three runs in the bottom of the inning.
The Blazers regained the lead in the third from a solo Doskow home run before a double from Christopoulos who then scored on a double from Gutierrez. VSU was unable to hold the lead as the Choctaws added four in the fifth and two in the sixth to take the second game 9-5.
The Blazers totaled eight hits, five RBI, two doubles, one home run, and six walks. Christopoulos lead the Blazers going 3 for 5 with one double, two RBI, and one run scored. Hits for the Blazers were also recorded by Doskow (2), Gutierrez (2), and Gandy (1).
Starting on the mound for the Blazers was sophomore JJ Finn who threw four innings and recorded the loss (3-2). Finn tallied one strikeout and gave up seven runs and eight hits. Graduate student Adrian Garrastazu relieved Finn and threw two innings to finish the game. Garrastazu recorded two strikeouts and gave up two runs and three hits.
For all information on Blazer baseball visit vstateblazers.com or follow Valdosta State Athletics on social media.
