ROME, Ga. – The No. 17 Valdosta State baseball team split a doubleheader at Shorter Sunday afternoon to win the series.  SU used a walk-off single in the tenth in the opener for a 4-3 victory, while VSU responded with an 8-0 shutout in the nightcap.
 
With the split, VSU improved to 13-5 overall and 6-3 in Gulf South Conference play, while Shorter fell to 10-9 overall and 5-4 in league play.  The Blazers concluded the eight-game road trip with a 6-2 record and return home to host Georgia College on Tuesday, Mar. 7 at 5 p.m. at Billy Grant Field at Tommy Thomas Park.
 
 
SHORTER 4, #17 VALDOSTA STATE 3 (Game 1 / 10 Innings)
Back-to-back doubles began the bottom of the first for the Hawks and a 1-0 lead off Blazer senior starter Kevin Tomas.  He then settled down and used a pitcher's best friend with a double play to end the inning. 
 
The Blazers got the bats going in the third as junior Preston Joye singled to left field.  Junior David Crawford singled him home and Crawford advanced to third on an error by the Hawks as two miscues proved costly.  Graduate student Nick Gonzalez singled to right, plating Crawford for a 2-1 lead.
 
Blazer junior Jacob Harper began the top of the fifth with a solo home run for a 3-1 and Joye drew a free pass.  Another error on the Hawks and the second hit of the game by Gonzalez loaded the bases with one away.  The Hawks got out of the jam as VSU grounded into its second double play of the game. 
 
The game remained 3-1 in favor of the Blazers as Tomas got out of a jam in the seventh with VSU turning its second double play of the game.  Shorter returned the favor in kind with the third double play turned by the Hawks to end the Blazers' eighth inning. 
 
Shorter used a free pass to begin the bottom of the eighth, but Tomas got a fly out for the first out.  VSU went to the bullpen in favor of senior Brandon Raiden.  Raiden fanned his first batter for two away, but leadoff hitter Thomas Schroeder IV tallied his second hit of the game for two on base.  Schroeder began the game with a double and scored on the double from Kobe Jones in the first.  On a full count, Jones singled home two runs to tie the game at 3-3.  The Blazers went to the bullpen in favor of Nick Ferrara.  Tomas had a strong outing for the Blazers, going 7.1 innings, allowing two earned runs, three hits, walked two and fanned three as he now can't factor into the decision.  Ferrara fanned the next batter ending the threat and sending the game to the ninth.
 
In the ninth, VSU had a two out walk to Harper for the go ahead run at first.  Carson Cook, who came into the game in the eighth, left as Trevor Nanny replaced him.  Nanny issued a walk, but got a flyout to end the inning.
 
Sophomore Jovanni Canegitta made a catch at the wall for the first out in the bottom of the ninth.  A walk followed for the Hawks with the potential winning run at first.  VSU made a call to the bullpen in favor of freshman Anthony Martens.  A stolen base moved Norman Leon to second with one out.  Martens got a strikeout for the second out.  A walk put two on for a potential out at any base.  Leon then stole third.  Canegitta then made a game-saving diving catch in left field to send the game to extra-innings robbing Isaac Harkins of a walk-off win. 
 
With the international tiebreaker rule in effect and a man at second, Crawford used a sacrifice bunt to move sophomore Deven Tedders to third.  A hit batsman followed for runners at the corners and one out.  Shorter got the second out via a foul out.  A hit batsmen loaded the bases for the Blazers.  Shorter came up with the out as the Blazers left the bags loaded. 
 
Shorter placed Harkins at second for the bottom of the tenth.  Harkins moved to third on a failed pickoff attempt from Martens.  VSU got the first out on a chopper to first base as Harkins had to stay at third.  Schroeder singles to right for an RBI and a 4-3, walk-off victory.
 
Martens (4-1) takes the loss in one inning of work, allowing one hit, one unearned run, a walk and a strikeout.  Gonzalez went 2 for 3 with an RBI and a walk.  Schroeder was 3 for 5 with an RBI and a double for the Hawks.  Nanny earned the win for the Hawks.
 
 
#17 Valdosta State 8, Shorter 0 (Game 2)
With two away in the top of the second and a runner at second, senior Bryson Gandy belted a two run home run off the scoreboard and off two time GSC Freshman of the Week, Tanner Folds, for a 2-0 Blazer lead.  It was Gandy's third home run of the season.
 
In the third, the Blazers plated four runs on three hits and two errors by the Hawks for a 6-0 lead.  Gonzalez hit a single to right with one out, followed by a single from graduate student JP Gates and Canegitta reached on an error to load the bases.  Sessa hit a sacrifice fly for a 3-0 lead, followed by Gandy reaching on an error for a run and, with two away, Joye doubled to right, plating two runs.  In the fourth, Gonzalez belted a solo home run.  In the bottom of the fourth, senior Zach Henderson continued his strong outing on the mound as he navigated around a bases loaded jam to preserve the shutout. 
 
Gandy belted his second home run of the game in the fifth for an 8-0 lead.  SU stranded a runner at third in the bottom of the sixth as Henderson continued a strong outing through six scoreless innings of three-hit baseball. 
 
Henderson posted a complete game shutout to improve to 3-0 on the year as he allowed three hits, walked five and fanned four.  Gandy earned Guardian Bank Blazer Player of the Game honors, going 2 for 3 with two runs scored, two home runs and four RBI.  Gonzalez was 2 for 4 with two runs scored, a home run and one RBI.