VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State baseball team scored in each of the first five innings en route to a 7-2 victory over visiting Saint Leo Tuesday evening to sweep the season series.  With the win, VSU improved to 26-12 on the year, while Saint Leo fell to 22-16 on the season. 
 
A single and a fielder's choice put runners at first and second with nobody out in the bottom of the first for the Blazers.  A ground out moved the runners to second and third with one out.  Graduate student Jakob Sessa laced an RBI single to center, followed by an infield single from sophomore Jovani Canegitta for a 2-0 lead.  VSU then made the score 3-0 with a three-base error on the SLU pitcher Kaelan Racculia in the bottom of the second. 
 
With one out in the top of the third, Buck Anderson laced an RBI triple to left field for a 3-1 score.   VSU went to the bullpen in favor of senior Brandon Raiden, replacing junior starter Zane Stephens with two out.  Raiden came up with a strikeout leaving a man stranded at third. 
 
Graduate student JP Gates began the bottom of the third with a double to right and Canegitta drove him home with a single up the middle for a 4-1 score.  SLU went to the bullpen, replacing Racculia for Drew Rudsinski with one away in the frame.  SLU turned a double play to get out of the inning.
 
Following the Blazers turning an inning-ending double play in the top of the fourth, they put runners at the corners with two out in the bottom of the frame.  Graduate student Nick Gonzalez singled through the left side, plating a run for a 5-1 lead on a hit and run.  VSU then turned its second double play of the game in the top of the fifth and another strikeout by Raiden ended the inning.
 
Canegitta tripled with one away in the bottom of the fifth and sophomore Hunter Stowe singled home Canegitta for a 6-1 lead.  Sophomore Connor Morgan hit a sacrifice fly for a 7-1 lead. 
 
Blazer redshirt freshman Tyler Spitzbarth pitched the seventh for the Blazers, relieving Raiden who went 3.1 innings, allowing one walk and fanning three.  Raiden didn't allow a hit.  Following a one out walk, VSU went to the bullpen in favor of sophomore JJ Finn.  Finn got a fielder's choice for the second.  The second walk of the inning put two on for the Lions.  The first hit for SLU since the third inning plating a run as Giusepe Arcuri singled to left for a 7-2 score.  On a 3-1 count to Lion leadoff hitter Zach Benson, Finn got a fly out to center to end the threat.
 
Heading to the ninth, the first two batters for SLU singled to begin the frame.  An infield fly retired first out for the Blazers, followed by a strikeout and a fielder's choice ended the game.
 
For the game, VSU scored seven runs on 11 hits and two errors, while SLU had two runs on five hits and three errors for the contest.  Canegitta went 4 for 4 with a run scored, a triple and two RBI to earn Guardian Bank Blazer Player of the Game honors.  Crawford was 2 for 5 with a run scored.  Raiden (4-1) earned the win in relief.  No Lion player had more than one hit in the game.
 
The Blazers return to the road this weekend for a key Gulf South Conference series at Auburn Montgomery, beginning Friday with a single game at 7 p.m. ET, followed by a doubleheader Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.