VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State baseball team split a doubleheader Saturday afternoon with visiting Florida Tech to win the season-opening series.  VSU won Saturday's opener 8-4, while Florida Tech won the nightcap 5-1. 
 
VSU went 3-1 in the opening week of the season, including a win Tuesday evening at Albany State, while Florida Tech stands at 3-4 on the year.  Both teams scored nine runs in the doubleheader Saturday, while VSU had 18 hits and five errors and the Panthers finished with 18 hits and two errors.  VSU won the opener of the series Friday evening, 11-0.
 
VALDOSTA STATE 8, FLORIDA TECH 4 (GAME ONE)
The Panthers used a leadoff walk, a single and, with two out and runners at the corners, Camden Colman singled to left center for a 1-0 lead.  VSU sophomore starting pitcher Anthony Martens struck out the side leaving runners at the corners. 
 
A leadoff walk and a single down the left field line from senior Ryan Romano put runners at first and second with nobody out in the bottom of the first.  Sophomore Dennis Pierce kept his strong start to the season going with an RBI single to right for a 1-1 score.  Following an out, junior Hunter Stowe drove in Romano on a ground out to second for a 2-1 lead.
 
The Panthers used a leadoff error on the Blazers in the fourth and, on a Roman Sampson double to right, the Blazer "D" came up huge with a 962 putout at home, gunning Marshall Burke at the plate on great throws from right fielder sophomore Marcos Sevillano to junior Pedro Moreno to senior Jacob Harper for the out.  A pop out followed and Martens' sixth strikeout of the game ended the inning.
 
With two out in the top of the fifth, Colman came up with his second RBI single of the game for a 2-2 score off junior reliever Hunter Booth.   In the bottom of the inning, senior David Crawford beat out an infield single and Moreno sent one over the left field fence for a 4-2 lead with nobody out for his first home run of the season.  Following an infield single to third from Pierce, Florida Tech made a call to the bullpen in favor of Ridge Skarbek, chasing starter Danny Vassallo from the game.
 
The third error of the game on the Blazers and a double from Gabe Garrett put runners at second and third with one out in the top of the sixth.  VSU went to the bullpen in favor of junior Logan Wynne, replacing Booth.  On a 3-2 count to Jason Blackstone, Wynne missed the spot loading the bases.  A ground out to first for the second out, but a run came home for a 4-3 score and runners at second and third.  Wynne got a big pop out to second base to get out of the jam. 
 
The fourth error of the game on the Blazers put two on for the Panthers with one out in the seventh.  Reliever junior Nick Ferrara stood tall with a big strikeout and a fly out to left as Florida Tech left 11 runners stranded to that point. 
 
A single from Stowe in the bottom of the eighth, a wild pitch and an RBI single from junior Jovanni Canegitta gave VSU a 5-3 lead with nobody out, chasing Skarbek from the game.  A great sacrifice bunt from Sevillano and a hit batsmen loaded the bases.  A bases loaded walk and wild pitch plated two runs for a 7-3 lead.  Sophomore DJ Banks singled through the right side plating a run and an 8-3 lead with runners at the corners as Pierce came to bat for the ninth batter of the inning. 
 
A single, fielder's choice and a double put two on with one out in the top of the ninth.  Roman Samson hit a sacrifice fly to right for an 8-4 score which would be as close at Florida Tech would get.
 
For the opener, Booth took the win (1-0) in 1.1 innings of work, allowing two hits, two runs – one earned and walked one. Vassallo (1-1) took the loss going 4.1 innings, allowing six hits, four earned runs, walked one and fanned two. Moreno went 2 for 4 with two runs scored, two RBI, a walk and a home run for the Blazers.  Pierce finished 2 for 5 with an RBI.
 
FLORIDA TECH 5, VALDOSTA STATE 1 (GAME TWO)
Two walks began the second game as junior Keaton Fuller struggled with location early.  Tate Hansen singled home the first run of the inning for a 1-0 lead still with nobody out.  Fuller got the next two batters out, but Marshall Burke singled to left, plating the second run of the inning chasing Fuller from the game in favor of junior Thomas Greeson.  Greeson got a strikeout to get out of the inning.
 
VSU put two on with two out in the bottom of the first, but was unable to cut into the deficit.  The Panthers, with two out in the top of the second, used a Jack Matousek hit deep infield single to the six-hole, plating a run for a 3-0 lead, but Matousek then was picked off for the final out. 
 
Canegitta began the bottom of the second with a double to right and moved to third on a passed ball with nobody out.  Harper singled to center, plating Canegitta for a 3-1 deficit.  On a 1-2 count, junior Farid Eljaiek came up with his first hit as a Blazer for two on with one out and a mound visit by the Panthers.  Florida Tech hurler Dylan Dieguez got the second out, but freshman Cole Steinmetz beat out an infield single to load the bases.  A fielder's choice ended the inning as VSU left the bags full.
 
Tate Hansen began the top of the third with a solo home run to left, chasing Greeson from the game.  An infield single and a bunt single followed, along with a walk to load the bases.  Junior Jude Ard became the fourth pitcher of the game for the Blazers as he fanned the next two batters for two away and got a ground out to second as the Blazers got out of the bases loaded jam.   With two on and two out in the top of the fourth, Canegitta made a great running catch in deep right field in what looked like it was going to be a gap shot to end the threat for the first scoreless inning for Florida Tech in the game. 
 
With one out in the top of the fifth, Roman Samson went deep to left for solo home run and a 5-1 Panther lead.  In the bottom of the frame, sophomore DJ Banks doubled to right chasing Dieguez from the game in favor of Ethan Stephens.  Stephens got Canegitta to swing on a full count for a strikeout ending the inning. 
 
VSU went down in order in the seventh.  The Blazers finished with one run on eight hits and left nine men stranded, while Florida Tech scored five runs on ten hits with one error and left ten stranded. 
 
Eljaiek went 2 for 2 as the only multi-hit player for the Blazers in the nightcap as Fuller (1-1) took the loss, going 0.2 innings, allowing two hits, two earned runs and walked two.  Hansen went 2 for 4 with a run scored, two RBI and a home run for Florida Tech.  Dieguez (1-0) earned the win for the Panthers, going 4.2 innings, allowing eight hits, one unearned run, walked two and fanned two.
 
The Blazers continue at home on Tuesday at 5 p.m., versus Thomas University and then open Gulf South Conference play next weekend in a three-game series beginning Friday at 5 p.m., against Auburn Montgomery also at Billy Grant Field at Tommy Thomas Park.