VALDOSTA, Ga. ­ Coming off a midweek, nonconference doubleheader at Flagler on March 2, the No. 3 Valdosta State softball returns home to host the Montevallo Falcons at Steel's Diamond at Blazer Park this weekend.   

  

The series will begin with a doubleheader on Saturday with the games scheduled for 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., and will conclude on Sunday at 1 p.m.  

  

Fans can access links to live stats and streaming of the games against Montevallo at vstateblazers.com on the softball schedule page. Check back with the site for complete recaps and stats of each game throughout the season.
 
The Blazers (13-4, 5-0 Gulf South Conference) split a doubleheader with Flagler on Wednesday, taking game one 9-0 in six innings and falling in game two 4-2.  
 
Graduate student Ally clegg hit a three-run blast in the top of the second inning in game one for her third home run of the year to give the Blazers an early 4-0 lead. Junior pitcher Samantha Richards (9-1) clinched the win in the opener, fanning eight batters and allowed one walk and one hit while.  In the nightcap, sophomores Morgan Hill Mia DeAngelis combined efforts in the circle and recorded six strikeouts and gave up four runs and a walk.   

VSU last faced the Falcons on May 7, 2021, in the Gulf South Conference Championship in Oxford, Ala., and won 3-1. Prior to the GSC Championship, the Blazers fell to the Falcons 2-0 on March 7, 2021, in the final game of a road series.   

  

The Falcons (7-7, 1-2 GSC), are coming off a pair of losses to Alabama Huntsville on March 2. The Falcons fell in game one 11-1 in five innings and 7-4 in game two.  

Mychael McMillan has pitched the most innings for Montevallo and has put up 38 strikeouts, allowed 16 earned runs, 19 walks and 33 hits. The pitching staff for Montevallo has combined for 71 strikeouts and has allowed 62 earned runs, 41 walks and 115 hits through 88 innings.   

  

Alisha Lanyon has a team-high .333 batting average, .542 slugging percentage, and has recorded one home run, 14 hits and four runs in 42 at-bats. Sierra Easterwood has six home runs on the year along with a .311 batting average and has had 13 runs, 14 hits and 14 RBI through 45 at-bats. 

  

For the Blazers, sophomore Aniston Gano has a team-high 19 hits through 47 at bats along with 11 runs, three home runs, 17 RBI and a .404 batting average, while senior Nikki Pennington has four home runs, 14 hits, 13 runs, 12 RBI, and a .304 batting average through 46 at-bats. Sophomore Katie Proctor, this week's GSC Player of the Week, has a .517 batting average along with three home runs, 15 hits, five runs and 14 RBI through 29 at-bats. 
 
In the circle, head coach Thomas Macera has utilized his entire pitching staff throughout the season. Richards has recorded 78 strikeouts and has held her opponents to 19 runs, 45 hits, 13 earned runs and 17 walks for a 1.44 ERA through 63 innings pitched. DeAngelis has fanned 22 batters and has given up 15 earned runs, 10 walks and has a 3.21 ERA through 32.2 innings. Hill has 10 strikeouts on the year and has given up 11 earned runs, 16 hits, eight walks and has a 4.67 ERA through 15 innings pitched.  
 
After the home series with Montevallo, the Blazers will travel to Jackson, Tenn., to face Union on March 12 and 13. The series will begin with a doubleheader on March 12 at  2 p.m. ET and 4 p.m. ET and will conclude on Sunday, March 13 at 2 p.m. ET. Following a nonconference doubleheader at Eckerd on Mar. 16, VSU returns home to host Shorter for a three-game set, Mar. 19-20.  

 
For all information on Blazer softball visit vstateblazer.com or follow Valdosta State Athletics on social media.