ROME, Ga. – The No. 17 Valdosta State baseball team scored three runs in the top of the tenth to break a 3-3 tie for a 6-4 victory Saturday afternoon to open a three-game, Gulf South Conference series at Shorter.  The teams are set for a doubleheader Sunday at 11 a.m. to conclude the series.
 
The Hawks (9-8, 4-3 GSC) opened the scoring in the bottom of the second with a home run from Tyler McWillie, his team-leading third of the season for a 1-0 lead.  The Blazers got out of the jam without further damage as SU left two on, including a runner at third.
 
VSU (12-4, 5-2 GSC) answered McWillie's blast in the third as graduate student JP Gates went yard for a 1-1 score and his second round-tripper of the season.  The Blazers then tacked on a run in the fifth as Trent Lewis began the frame with a double to left field and junior David Crawford singled to third as Lewis advanced to third.  Graduate student Nick Gonzalez hit a sacrifice fly for a 2-0 lead.  In the sixth, the Blazers pushed the lead to 3-1 on a sophomore Jovanni Canegitta home run for his first home run as a Blazer.  
 
The Hawks wouldn't go quietly, however, as they plated two runs in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game at 3-3.  An infield single began the inning, followed by a double to left. A sacrifice fly scored the first run and then an error on the Blazers plated the tying run.  VSU got out of the jam as SU tried to steal a base on a walk and Justin Barnes was gunned down at third.  
 
In the tenth, Lewis was placed at second for the international tiebreaker rule and Gates then blasted his second home run of the game – this time a two-run shot, for a 5-3 lead.  Not to be outdone, graduate student Jakob Sessa followed with a home run of his own for a 6-3 lead.  It was Sessa's first home run of the season and first of his VSU career.
 
Shorter used an RBI double from Kobe Jones with one out for a 6-4 deficit after the Hawks also had a runner placed at second, but the Blazers came up with a ground out and then a great throw from shortstop to first to get the final out for the victory.  
 
Gates finished the game with the win on the mound (2-0) going 5.2 innings, allowing four hits, three runs – one earned, walked two and fanned one in relief of sophomore starter Zach Dodson, who went 4.2 innings, allowing four hits, one earned run, walked one and fanned two.  Gates was 2 for 5 from the plate with two runs scored, two home runs and three RBI to earn Guardian Bank Blazer Player of the Game honors.  Sessa finished 2 for 2 with a run scored, a home run and an RBI.  
 
Check back with vstateblazers.com tomorrow for links to live stats and streaming of the doubleheader.