VALDOSTA, Ga.- The Valdosta State softball team kicked off a three-game Gulf South Conference series with Union in a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon. The Blazers took the first game 4-3 before falling in the nightcap, 6-5.
 
Following the doubleheader split, Valdosta State now sits at 13-9 overall with a 6-2 skid in conference play while Union holds a 14-6 record with a 6-2 mark in the GSC.
 
GAME #1: Valdosta State 4, Union 3
The Lady Bulldogs kicked off the scoring in the first game of the series on a base knock and a Blazer throwing error to take an early 1-0 lead. Union added another run in the top of the third on a double and an RBI single to go up 2-0.
 
Following a brief rain delay, senior Aniston Gano launched her eighth home run of the year to put VSU on the board in the bottom of the fourth, 2-1. Valdosta State continued to hold Union scoreless into the bottom of the sixth as the Blazer bats came to life once again.
 
The sixth inning rally kicked off with senior Katie Proctor cracking a single to center field before Gano's patience at the plate earned her a walk. With runners on first and second, sophomore Saylor McNearney answered the call, blasting a three-run shot to give Valdosta State its first lead of the afternoon, 4-2.
 
With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Union hit a solo home run to bring the score within one at 4-3. The Lady Bulldogs managed to get runners on the corners, following a single and a VSU throwing error. However, junior Brandie Seber made a game-saving play at home plate, tagging the Union runner from third on a stolen base attempt. The Blazers ended up taking the hard-fought game one, 4-3.
 
Freshman Toree Wofford (4-0) earned the start in the circle, going all seven innings for her fourth complete game of the year. Overall, the Dallas, Ga. native allowed just two earned runs on eight hits with four strikeouts and no walks.
 
For the contest, the Blazers only managed to rack up five hits including the pair of home runs from Gano and McNearney as the Lady Bulldog's Lainey Baker had an impressive performance in the circle, walking two and fanning 13. McNearney's three-run home run was a key moment in the Blazer victory, earning her Guardian Bank Player of the Game honors.
 
GAME #2: Union 6, Valdosta State 5
Union jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the top of the first following an RBI single and a three-run home run. Valdosta State responded swiftly in the bottom of the frame as Louisville Slugger/NFCA DII Player of the Week junior Abby Sulte cranked her 14^th home run of the season on a two-run bomb to make the game a two-run affair, 4-2. Later in the inning, Seber took a two-out walk just before Gano crushed her second home run of the day, evening the contest up at 4-4 by the end of the frame.
 
In the bottom of the fourth, the Blazers scored the go-ahead run-in spectacular fashion as sophomore Lexi Patterson blasted her first home run of the season, giving the Blazers a one-run cushion, 5-4.
 
Union ended up extending the game in the top of the seventh, scoring two runs on three hits to take the lead heading into the bottom of the seventh, 6-5. The Blazers fought to take their lead back but ended up coming up just short by the end of the seventh as Union forced the doubleheader split, 6-5.
 
Graduate Nadia Zenteno (3-5) had the start for the Blazers in the circle, going 6.1 innings while allowing six runs on six hits. For the game, she struck out five while walking four. The Blazers once again tallied five hits in the contest including the home runs from Sulte, Gano and Patterson. Union's Riley Vaughn picked up the win for the Lady Bulldogs, tallying seven strikeouts in three innings. Lexi Patterson's towering go-ahead home run in the bottom of the fourth marked her first of the year and earned her Guardian Bank Player of the Game honors.
 
The Blazers are set to return to Steel's Diamond tomorrow afternoon for the rubber match series finale against Union at 1 p.m. For more information on Valdosta State softball, visit vstateblazers.com and head to the softball schedule page.