VALDOSTA, Ga.- The No. 10 Valdosta State softball team blanked Lee, 3-0, in a Gulf South Conference series opener Saturday afternoon at Steel's Diamond.
With the win, the Blazers improved to 26-5 overall and 14-2 in conference play while the Flames fell to 9-24 overall and 4-12 in GSC play.

The Blazers and Flames remained locked into a defensive battle for the first two and a half innings with both VSU and Lee having one hit a piece with two runners left on until the bottom of the third inning struck. In that frame, the Blazers attacked for the only runs of the contest as junior Morgan Hill reached first on a fielder's choice and sophomore Abby Sulte took a hit by pitch walk to put two Blazer runners on first and second base. Senior Taylor Lewis seized the opportunity, cracking her 11^th homer of the year on a three-run bomb to put the Blazers up 3-0. From there, senior Samantha Richards and the Blazer defense locked down for the remainder of the game to give VSU the 3-0 shutout victory in the first game with Lee.

The Blazers picked up another complete-game shutout performance from Richards in the circle, bringing her to 18 complete games, five shutouts and 20 wins this season. In seven innings, she fanned 10, walked one and allowed three hits. At the dish for the Blazers, Lewis recorded one hit for one run and three RBI on her booming three-run shot to earn Guardian Bank Player of the Game honors.

Valdosta State will return to Steel's Diamond to host Lee in a doubleheader set for Sunday, April 2 at 1 p.m. For live stats, streaming, ticket information and all things Valdosta State softball, visit vstateblazers.com.