VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State Blazers and the Auburn Montgomery Warhawks split the doubleheader on a cool and cloudy night in Titletown. It was close to a reverse score for both games, as the Warhawks took game one by a score of 5-1 before the Blazers came right back and took game two, 5-0. VSU will go for the series win tomorrow with the first pitch being at 2 p.m.

AUBURN MONTGOMERY 5, VALDOSTA STATE 1 (GAME ONE)
The Warhawks opened the scoring in the second inning as Cooper Doughman doubled to left center with one out.  A walk followed and JC Tunnell doubled home Doughman, but the Blazers used a great relay through from center field to second base to the plate gunning Hayden Grier at the dish for the second out.  Junior Zach Dodson got out of the inning with a strikeout.  
 
AUM starting hurler Clay Slagle retired the first ten batters of the game as he went six innings, allowing four hits, one earned run and fanned four to improve to 1-1 on the year.  VSU senior Jacob Harper registered the first hit of the game for the red and black in the bottom of the third. 
 
In the fourth, the Warhawks scored three runs courtesy of an RBI single to right from Grier and then AUM loaded the bases for an RBI single from Jarren Wright. On a 1-2 count with two away, Brendan York singled to center, plating two runs for a 4-0 lead.  Dodson got out of the inning as AUM left the bags full.  
 
The Blazer offense started to come alive in the bottom of the fourth with one out singles from senior Ryan Romano and sophomore Dennis Pierce.  A ground out moved the runners into position, but Slagle came back with a strikeout to end the threat.  
 
Romano blasted a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth cutting the deficit to 4-1.  Junior Hunter Stowe reached on an error but was left stranded.  It was Romano's first home run of the season and seventh of his career at VSU.  
 
VSU had another chance in the bottom of the eighth with a two out walk to Romano and an infield single by Pierce, but AUM reliever Grant Hickman was able to get out of the jam with a flyout to center.  The Warhawks added run in the ninth for a 5-1 advantage.
 
The Blazers had one last chance in the ninth as junior Jovanni Canegitta walked to begin the frame and graduate student Leeandro Alfonzo singled to left, followed by two ground outs and a four-pitch walk to senior David Crawford to load the bases.  On a 1-0 count, junior Pedro Moreno got under it just enough, barely missing a potential game-tying grand slam for a long out to left to end the game.
 
VSU tallied one run on six hits and no errors for the game, while AUM finished with five runs on ten hits and one error.  Romano went 2 for 3 with a run scored and an RBI on the solo home run, while Pierce was 2 for 4.  Dodson took the loss (0-1) in five innings, allowing six hits, four earned runs, walked two and struck out five.  AUM had four extra-base hits in the game.  
 
VALDOSTA STATE 5, AUBURN MONTGOMERY 0 (GAME TWO)
In the nightcap, AUM loaded the bases in the top of the first, but VSU sophomore hurler Anthony Martens came back with a fly out to center and a ground out to short to end the threat leaving the bags full.   VSU took its first lead of the series in the bottom of the inning as Moreno and Romano began the frame with singles and Pierce walked to load the bases.  Stowe hit into a double play but scored Moreno for a 1-0 lead. 
 
AUM had chances in both the third and fourth innings as it left two on in both frames.  Martens came back with two huge strikeouts to get out of the jam in the third.  In the fourth, junior JJ Finn came in to shut down the Warhawks, but an error to start the inning had a runner in scoring position with no one out. The next batter dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move the tying run to third. A shallow flyout to left and a walk had runners on the corners with two out. A stolen base put the go-ahead run in scoring position, but Finn continued to do what he does best, and forced a weak dribbler to DJ Banks to retire the threat.
 
Canegitta was able to smoke a ball just past the first baseman's mitt to put a runner on with one out to start the bottom of the fourth. He then stole his first bag of the year as VSU was a threat to extend their lead. Alfonzo came up clutch, sending a ball into the right center gap to make it a 2-0 Blazer lead. A Warhawk error had runners on second and third with one out for junior catcher Carson Russell, who sent a deep fly ball into center for bring home Alfonzo to extend the lead to 3-0 through four.
 
JJ Finn kept churning through runners, as he had no problem getting through the top of the fifth. In the bottom of the inning a Pierce single to left forced AUM to go to their bullpen. As they brought in Michael Myer in relief for Payte Williams. Myer didn't scare Hunter Stowe one bit, as he murdered a ball into the deep night sky as he stood there and admired his first home run of the 2024 campaign, as Valdosta State extended their lead to 5-0. JJ Finn would then go out to retire the Warhawks in order for the next two innings as the Ocala, Fla. native would finish his night with 4.0 IP and zero runs allowed to keep his ERA at 0.00. Since it was game two of a doubleheader, the Blazers would win 5-0 in seven innings of ball.
 
The Blazers are set to finish the conference series with the Warhawks on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. For more information on Valdosta State baseball, visit vstateblazers.com and go to the softball schedule page.