VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State baseball team swept a doubleheader with visiting Embry-Riddle Saturday afternoon to win the three-game series.  VSU won the opener 10-3 and took the nightcap, 3-1.    
 
The Blazers improved to 2-1 on the young season, while ERAU fell to 1-2.  For the doubleheader, junior Jacob Harper hit 3 of 4 with three RBI and one walk, while the Blazers had four doubles with one triple and one home run and collected 13 hits.  
 
Valdosta State 10, Embry-Riddle 3 (Game One)
The Eagles opened the scoring in the top of the first with an RBI single through the right side from Robert Post after a leadoff walk for a 1-0 lead.  The Blazers used a leadoff walk to senior David Crawford and a sacrifice bunt moved him to second for graduate student JP Gates, as he laced an RBI double to right center for a 1-1 score in the bottom of the first.  
 
ERAU scored a run in the top of the third on an RBI ground out as the Blazers turned a double play for a 2-1 lead.  VSU got out of the inning on a fly out to left field preventing further damage.  In the top of the fourth, the Eagles loaded the bases with nobody out on a hit batsmen, infield single and an error.  VSU kept its composure and retired the first out to left and then came up with a great defensive double play as senior right fielder Bryson Gandy threw a laser after a catch into Harper at the dish to gun down Robert Post for the third out.  
 
Blazer sophomore Connor Morgan, playing in his first game of the season, hit a home run to left center field to begin the bottom of the fourth and a 2-2 score.   The Blazers went to the bullpen in the top of the fifth with one on, as Gates replaced graduate student Jeremy Adams on the mound.  He retired the next two batters with two pitches and fanned Jeremy Kennedy-Davis to end the inning.  
 
Singles from Gates and graduate student Jakob Sessa put two on with one out in the bottom of the fifth for the Blazers.  A hit batsmen loaded the bases, but Keller came back with a strikeout for the second out.  A bases loaded walk and a passed ball plated two runs for the Blazers and a 4-2 score.  The Blazers added another run in the sixth highlighted by a triple from Crawford for a 5-2 score.  
 
ERAU loaded the bases, once again, in the top of the seventh with two outs and an RBI walk to Timo Aracena pulled the Eagles within 5-3.  VSU got a fly out to right to end the inning as ERAU left the bags full.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, VSU began the inning with a walk and a double to right center for runners at second and third and nobody out.  Harper singled through the left side, plating a run for a 6-3 score as ERAU went to the bullpen.  A wild pitch plated the second run of the inning for a 7-3 lead.  The Blazers tacked on two runs on singles through the right side in the bottom of the eighth for a 9-3 lead and added another run for the final margin of 10-3.  
 
Harper finished the game 3 for 4 with three RBI to earn Guardian Bank Blazer Player of the Game honors, while Gates earned the win in relief, going 3.1 innings, allowing two hits, one earned run, walked five and fanned three.  He went 2 for 4 from the dish with a run scored, a double and an RBI.  
 
Valdosta State 3, Embry-Riddle 1 (Game Two)
VSU took the lead in the bottom of the first of the nightcap as Crawford reached on a throwing error and scored on a Gates groundout for a 1-0 lead.  ERAU tied the game in the top of the season with a bases loaded walk with nobody out.  VSU redshirt sophomore starter Zach Dodson worked out of the jam with a fielder's choice, strikeout and groundout to prevent further damage.
 
The second error on the Eagles proved costly as graduate student Jakob Sessa reached on an error, plating Crawford for a 2-1 score.  ERAU left two stranded in the fourth and one in the fifth, before VSU added the insurance run in the bottom of the fifth as sophomore Hunter Stowe laced a single through the left side and a great bunt for a single from Crawford two runners into scoring position.  Gates grounded out to second, plating a run for a 3-1 lead.  
 
ERAU began the sixth with a double to right center from Aracena and Chase Bruno doubled to center, moving Aracena to third.  Blazer reliever graduate student Nick Ferrara came up with two huge strikeouts to get out of the inning unscathed.  Ferrara finished with five strikeouts for the game.  Senior Zach Henderson replaced Ferrara for the final two outs of the seventh.  
 
Crawford went 2 for 3 with two runs scored and a triple to earn Guardian Bank Blazer Player of the Game honors, while Gates drove in two of the three runs.  Freshman Anthony Marten earned the victory, going one inning, allowing two hits and walked one.  Henderson picked up his first save of the season.