VALDOSTA, Ga. – The No. 15 West Florida baseball team won the opening game of a doubleheader Saturday, 13-7 over No. 17 Valdosta State on Senior Day to win the series as the second game was suspended in the fourth inning with VSU leading 5-3. The game will pickup where it stopped due to rain and lightning Sunday morning at 11 a.m.
#15 WEST FLORIDA 13, #17 VALDOSTA STATE 7 (GAME ONE)
UWF used a single up the middle and a hit batsmen for runners at the corners with one out. An RBI single through the left side from Preston Moore plated the first run of the game for the Argos. Mike Scordo doubled to the gap for a 2-0 lead. Jackson Grabsky put down a great squeeze bunt for a 3-0 lead. The Argos then added two more runs for a 5-0 lead.
In the fourth, a pair of singles and an error made the score 6-0 in favor of the Argos with one out.
Junior
David Crawford began the fourth with a single to right for his second hit of the game and the first since he had a leadoff single in the first. Graduate student
Nick Gonzalez singled off the second base bag for two on and nobody out. Graduate student
Jakob Sessa singled to right center, plating a run for a 6-1 deficit. Senior
Orlando Adams singled to left field on the first pitch from UWF reliever Dilan Lawson for an RBI single to left and a 6-2 deficit. A walk loaded the bases with one out. Lawson came up with a strikeout for two away and got out of the inning with a fielder's choice.
UWF added two more runs in the sixth with a single, fielder's choice and an error and then added three runs in the seventh for an 11-2 score. In the bottom of the seventh, VSU put runners at the corners with one out and junior
David Crawford singled through the right side, plating a run for an 11-3 score. An RBI single from Gonzalez plated the second run of the inning and an 11-4 score. Sophomore
Sean McArdle singled to right and Adams hit a sacrifice fly for an 11-6 deficit.
With the Argos leading 12-6, McDowell hit his second home run of the game for a 13-6 lead in the top of the ninth. VSU scored a run on an error in the ninth for the final margin of 13-7.
VSU finished with seven runs on 12 hits with two errors, while UWF had 13 runs on 18 hits with two errors. Crawford went 4 for 5 with two runs scored and one RBI, while Gonzalez was 3 for 5 with two runs scored and one RBI. Crawford was named the Guardian Bank Blazer Player of the Game. Senior
Zach Henderson (6-1) took the loss in 5.1 innings, allowing 12 hits, eight runs six earned, walked one and fanned six.
McDowell paced the Argos, going 4 for 6 with four runs scored, three RBI and two home runs. Lawson (1-0) earned the win in relief of starter Major Posey. Lawson went 2.2 innings, allowing one hit, walked two and fanned two.
GAME TWO (SUSPENDED TOP 4th)
After a three-up-three-down first inning, VSU used a leadoff walk and a single from Gonzalez for runners at the corners with nobody out in the in the bottom of the first. A fielder's choice plated Crawford for a 1-0 VSU lead for the first lead by the Blazers on the weekend. Senior
Orlando Adams turned on a pitch for a two-run home run to left field and a 3-0 lead.
With two out and a 2-2 count, Josh Prizina went deep for a three-run shot to tie the game in the top of the second. VSU loaded the bases in the bottom of the third with nobody out with a single, a walk and a hit batsmen. UWF came up with a great defensive play on a double play on a potential sacrifice fly, but Harper then singled home Cristomo-Bock for a 4-3 lead. Gandy then singled to short left field for an RBI and a 5-3 lead.
UWF put runners at the corners with nobody out in the top of the fourth as the game was suspended for lightning at 3:45 p.m.
