VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State Blazers secured their 14^th win of the season in a 11-8 win over the Tritons of Eckerd College on Tuesday evening at Billy Grant Field. Pedro Moreno and Cole Steinmetz each hit their second home runs of the season as the double play tandem continued their strong play as they each drove in three batters on the evening.
 
Owen Lawn was 3-3 in the game with two runs scored and two drawn walks as he locked up the cleanup spot for the night. On the mound sophomore Raynel Ortiz picked up his first win as a Blazer, as the first basemen has been taking reps on the mound due to pitching injuries.
 
Junior Trey Jackson got the start today and made quick work in the top of the first, retiring the first three batters in order for the Blazers. Valdosta State followed suit in the bottom of the first, tied 0-0 after one.
 
In the top of the second, Eckerd got on the board with a leadoff homerun from Cam Collier to take a 1-0 lead. They continued to tack on, as Bradley White tripled to right center to bring home two more and grow the lead to 3-0. White was brought home on the very next batter as it was 4-0 through an inning and a half.
 
Graduate student Owen Lawn led off the bottom of the second with a deep double to center followed by a single and stolen base by junior Jovanni Canegitta to put runners at second and third. Senior Jacob Harper followed that with s seven pitch walk to load the bases with no one out. Raynel Ortiz took four straight to draw a walk and drive in a run. The very next pitch, sophomore DJ Banks ripped a ball into right to bring home another and cut the deficit in half. After another long at-bat, junior Cole Steinmetz ripped a ball up the middle to bring home yet another and keep the bases juiced with on one out as the order turned over. Junior Pedro Moreno laced a triple into right center to bring home two and take a 5-4 lead. Senior David Crawford hit a deep sac fly to bring home Moreno and make it 6-4 in favor of VSU through two innings.
 
After the Tritons stole back a run in the top of the third, Pedro Moreno led off the bottom of the fourth with a high fly ball the carried out over the left field fence for his second to get the lead back to two, as it was 7-5 through four.
 
The bats kept rolling in the bottom of the bottom of the fifth, as Cole Steinmetz faked bunt and pulled it back a smacked a two-run homer into left for his second of the year to extend the lead to 9-5 through five innings of play.
 
Harper drove in two more in the bottom of the sixth with a stinger up the middle to extend the lead to 11-5. The Tritons came back hard in the top of the seventh, as Eckerd was walked three times and recorded three hits to drive in three and make it 11-8 after they stranded bases juiced on a groundout to Steinmetz.
 
Coming out of relief in the top of the eighth, junior Nick Ferrara inherited a 3-0 count and forced a flyout before retiring the next two for a clean top half of the inning. Ferrara continued the ninth in grand fashion, as the righty struck out the side to record his first save of the seal and secure a 11-8 Blazer win.
 
Valdosta State will be back in action on Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. as the Blazers host the Nova Southeastern Sharks for a doubleheader.