MONTEVALLO, Ala.- The Valdosta State softball team caught fire in a doubleheader sweep of Montevallo on Friday afternoon. For the doubleheader, the Blazers racked up 28 runs on 23 hits in their offensive showcase. VSU scored the game one victory, 12-6, before downing the Falcons ,16-4 (six innings, in game two.
 
The Blazers now sit at 22-13 overall with a 13-4 mark in the Gulf South Conference. Meanwhile, Montevallo fell to 16-17 overall with a 9-8 record in conference play.
 
Game #1: Valdosta State 12, Montevallo 6
In the series opener, The Blazer offense was off to the races as junior Brandie Seber got on base due to a Falcons fielding error just before senior Morgan Hill crushed a two-run shot for her 13^th homer of the season to give VSU the early 2-0 lead.
 
Montevallo returned the favor in the bottom of the first, tacking on a run behind an RBI single to cut the Valdosta State lead in half, 2-1. The game went silent offensively for a few innings until the top of the fourth.
 
In the top of the fourth frame, senior Katie Proctor cracked a base knock just before sophomore Saylor McNearney went deep on a two-run blast to give VSU the three-run edge, 4-1.
 
The Falcons answered back with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth to slice the Blazers lead in half once again, 4-2. However, Valdosta State responded swiftly as Hill and junior Abby Sulte took a pair of walks to kick off the fifth inning. A groundout moved the pair over, putting them in scoring position as Proctor delivered a two-RBI single down the right field line to put the Blazers up by four, 6-2.
 
The game remained locked at 6-2 until the Falcons rallied in a big way in the bottom of the sixth. Montevallo ended up tallying four runs on three hits including a three-run home run to tie the game up in the blink of an eye, 6-6.
 
With the game on the line, the Blazers locked in for a more than eventful seventh inning. VSU quickly loaded the bases on singles from Hill and Bogart as well as a walk from Sulte with no outs. Senior Aniston Gano scored the go-ahead run on a single to center field to give the Blazers a 7-6 lead. Sophomore Jasmin Stewart then tallied an RBI on a hit-by-pitch walk to put VSU up by two, 8-6. Sophomore Jayme Prandine then busted the game wide-open with a massive grand slam to put the Blazers up 12-6. The grand slam marks Valdosta State's fourth of the season (Gano, Proctor, Sulte) and Prandine's first of her Blazer career.
 
The Blazer defense ended up closing the game out on a quick half-inning in the bottom of the seventh to earn a hard-fought 12-6 victory behind an explosive six-run inning in the top of the seventh.
 
Junior Savannah Barfield got the start in the circle for the first game in the series, going five innings while allowing six runs (five earned) on eight hits. She gave up four walks and struck out two. Junior Madison Lumpp (5-3) closed out the game for the Blazers, going two innings while allowing just one hit for no runs. She fanned four and gave up two walks.
Valdosta State racked up eight hits in the game including home runs from Hill, McNearney and Prandine. Jayme Prandine's late game grand slam broke the first contest of the series wide open, giving the Blazers a hard-fought road win, earning her Guardian Bank Player of the Game honors.
 
Game #2: Valdosta State 16, Montevallo 4 (6 Innings)
Montevallo came out ready to strike back in the second game of the day as a Blazer fielding error gave way to a Falcons two-run homer in the bottom of the first, 2-0. VSU stuck back in the top of the second as sophomore Lexi Patterson tallied an RBI on a single that scored McNearney from second, 2-1.
 
UM went on to tally another run in the bottom of the second on three singles to build its lead up to two, 3-1. However, Valdosta State was not down and out for long as Hill took a lead-off walk in the top of the third before Sulte cranked her 23^rd home run of the season on a two-run bomb to put the Blazers right back in it, 3-3.
 
In the top of the fourth, VSU continued to get runners on as Prandine and Seber took a pair of walks to kick start the frame. Hill continued to have an awesome afternoon at the plate, scoring Prandine from second on an RBI double to give Valdosta State the lead, 4-3.
 
Montevallo tied the game up once again in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI double, 4-4. VSU responded in a big way in the top of the fifth as junior Carly Bogart began the frame with a lead-off double. McNearney then walked before Seber cracked a two-RBI triple to snatch the lead back for the Blazers, 6-4. With two outs, Hill and Sulte took walks to load the bases as Proctor sliced a double to deep left field to empty said bases and put VSU up 9-4.
 
The top of the sixth started just like the fifth as Bogart smacked a lead-off double to beginning the inning. Patterson ended up driving in Bogart from second on a base knock to put VSU up 10-4. Prandine then hit a double to put two Blazers on before Hill sliced her second double of the game to score two more runs, 12-4. Valdosta State loaded the bases on a pair of back-to-back walks as Gano reached on a Falcons fielding error to score two more runs for VSU, 14-4. Bogart then came up for a second time in the inning, knocking a single through the left side to score another Blazer run, 15-4. The rally continued as McNearney cracked a base knock before Patterson tallied another RBI single to give the Blazers a 12-point cushion by the end of the sixth, 16-4.
 
The VSU defense held the Falcons to just one hit in the bottom of the sixth as the Blazers claimed their sixth GSC series of the year following a 16-4 game two victory.
 
Freshman Toree Wofford got the start at pitcher for the Blazers, going four innings while allowing four runs (one earned) on six hits. She struck out one batter while allowing no walks. Lumpp came in to finish the second game of the afternoon as well, going two innings while allowing no runs on one hit. She also recorded one strikeout with no walks.
The Blazers put on an offensive showcase in the second game of the series, tallying 15 hits for a season-best 16 runs. VSU racked up nine extra base hits as Hill, Prandine and Bogart each recorded two doubles apiece while Seber tacked on a triple and Sulte mashed a home run. Hill had nearly a perfect game at the plate, racking up three runs on two doubles for three RBI to earn Guardian Bank Player of the Game honors.
 
The Blazers are set to conclude the series against Montevallo on Saturday, Mar. 30 at 1 p.m. ET. For more information on that matchup as well as everything Valdosta State softball, visit vstateblazers.com and head to the softball schedule page.