VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State Blazer baseball team won their eighth straight series on Saturday afternoon, as they split the doubleheader with Christian Brothers on senior day. Before the game, the six seniors were honored by the coaches, fans, and family. Valdosta State finished the weekend with a 24-16 (16-11 GSC) record while Christian Brothers heads back to Memphis, Tenn. with a record of 15-30 (7-23 GSC).
 
In game one of the doubleheader, the Blazers scored nine unanswered runs with six of those runs coming in the bottom of the seventh inning after play-by-play announcer Bill Malone sung 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame' for the seventh inning stretch, which ignited a Valdosta State rally to take the lead, which they then never gave up. Junior Ryan Brown came out of the bullpen and pitched four near-perfect innings as the southpaw allowed two batters to reach while striking out three on 38 pitches to earn his second win of the season. In game two of the doubleheader, a nine-run top of the fifth inning doomed the Blazers, as they committed three errors in the inning. Sophomore Dennis Pierce hit his team-leading 11^th homer of the campaign in the bottom of the sixth, as teams are scared to pitch to him. He was intentionally walked four times over the course of the past two days.

As it stands, the Blazers are in fourth place in the Gulf South Conference standings and are 0.5 games back of West Florida for the third spot. Valdosta State will look to carry their momentum into next weekend to secure their spot in the GSC Tournament.
 
GAME ONE: CHRISTIAN BROTHERS: 4 VALDOSTA STATE: 10
The Bucs jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first with a two-run home run from Dalton Pyzer with no one out. A six-pitch walk followed as the first three batters had reached for Christian Brothers to open the game. Hunter Booth would retire the next two batters before allowing a allowing his third hit of the inning with a two out single to right. A single into right plated another one for CBU as they grew their lead to 3-0. A pitch clock violation on a full count loaded the bases with two out, as Booth forced a flyout to strand the bases loaded. A one out single from senior Ryan Romano opened things up for VSU in the bottom half, as he extended his on-base streak to 28 straight games. Two straight hit batters with two down loaded the bases, but CBU's Weber Denman was able to force an easy fly ball to get out the jam, up 3-0 after one.
 
Facing the order the second time in the top of the second, Booth had no trouble, setting the Bucs down in order to get the Blazer faithful on their feet. A leadoff double in the bottom of the second by graduate student Owen Lawn had Valdosta State on the hunt for some runs. Two straight groundouts brought Lawn around to score, as VSU trialed 3-1 through two.
 
Booth started to settle in, as he retired the side in order again to give the hitters a chance. In the bottom of the third, a hit batter followed by a two out double by junior Hunter Stowe put the tying run at second base for senior Jacob Harper, who struck out to end the Blazer threat, trailing 3-1 through three.
 
A one out double put Booth in trouble in the top half of the fourth, as he struck out the next batter to turn the order over for a third time. A walk to the Buccaneer leadoff hitter had two runners on with two away. Booth went straight to work, fanning the next batter to get out of the jam in the top of the fourth. A one out single by sophomore Marcos Sevillano followed by an error had a runner in scoring position with one out, but the Blazers were unable to cash him in, still trailing 3-1 through four.
 
The Bucs hit their second home run of the afternoon on a deep shot into the woods with one out in the top of the fifth, as they extended their lead to 4-1 through four and a half innings. CBU went to the bullpen in the bottom of the fifth, as they went to Landry Borden to try and keep VSU at bay. After walking a batter, Borden's defense held strong with a diving stop at second followed by a catch at the warning track to escape the bottom of the fifth.
 
Head coach Greg Guilliams went to junior Ryan Brown in the top of the sixth. Three straight groundouts to junior Pedro Moreno at shortstop retired the Bucs in order quickly as the Blazers bats came up in the bottom of the sixth.
 
Valdosta State had another bases loaded opportunity in the bottom half of the seventh, a single, a double, and a walk had the bases juiced for junior Jovanni Canegitta. After four straight balls, VSU plated a run as the bases stayed loaded with one out. A fielder's choice nabbed a Blazer runner at the plate, as then Jacob Harper was hit by a pitch to bring home another run, as it was 4-3 CBU as the bases stayed loaded in the bottom of the seventh. Owen Lawn hit a scorcher to short for an infield single, who then threw it into the dugout to bring two around to score as Valdosta State took a 5-4 lead. On a 1-2 count, Marcos Sevillano came up with his second clutch hit in two days, as two more Blazers came around to score as VSU was now up 7-4 through seven.
 
Ryan Brown continued to pitch for a third straight inning the top of the eighth, and he continued to shut the Bucs down, retiring three more as he had retired all nine batters across three innings out of the bullpen. In the bottom of the eighth, as walk by Romano and a single by Pierce had runners on first and second with no one out, as the Blazers were looking for insurance. A fresh arm out of CBU's bullpen walked Canegitta on four pitches to load the bases with no one out. After a quick pop out, senior Jacob Harper jumped on an 0-0 pitch with a single to right to bring home two more to make it 9-4. A sacrifice bunt from sophomore Raynel Ortiz plated another run as the lead had grown to 10-4 through eight.
 
Ryan Brown rolled out into the ninth, as he allowed a hit and walk but then ended the game on a lineout to second to turn a double play to take game one, 10-4.
 
GAME TWO: CHRISTIAN BROTHERS: 11 VALDOSTA STATE: 5
 
A leadoff single and stolen base by CBU's Royal Hobson was nullified as junior Jude Ard picked off the conference leader in stolen bases on a beautiful move to second to end any threat in the top of the first. A leadoff walk by Pedro Moreno in the bottom of the first was quickly erased on a lineout double play as VSU went in order in the bottom of the first.
 
After a 1-2-3 top of the second from Ard, Jovanni Canegitta battled back from down 0-2 to draw a walk before Hunter Stowe was hit by the pitch to put two on to open the bottom of the second. A double steal by Canegitta and Stowe forced the Bucs' catcher to airmail the throw, bringing home Jovanni to give VSU a 1-0 lead. A single to left over the leaping shortstop by Owen Lawn brought home Stowe to make it 2-0 through two.
 
Both pitchers were dueling, as VSU's Jude Ard and CBU's Joseph Gibson combined for three hits allowed, as Valdosta State was leading 2-0 through four innings of play.
 
Things started to get intense in the top of the fifth, as an error followed by a base hit that two on with no one out. A perfectly dropped bunt the next at-bat resulted in a base hit to load the bases with no one out as VSU was leading 2-0. Another Blazer error and a hit by pitch brought home two to tie the game at two with no one out and Bucs still threatening. Greg Guilliams brought in junior Garrett Sagro to try and get VSU out of a jam. A blooper to right kept the line moving as CBU took a 3-2 lead. After battling to a full count, another Buccaneer was walked to keep the bases loaded and bring home another run. Another jammed base hit brought home the fifth run of the inning and no one out with the bases still juiced. A double on a 1-1 pitch to bring home two more and grow the lead to 8-2. Another perfectly dropped bunt followed by a bad throw by the pitcher brought home a ninth straight run as it was 9-2 heading to the bottom of the fifth.
 
The Blazers were never able to recover, falling 11-5 in seven innings of game three.
 
Valdosta State will finish the regular season on the road, as they travel to Daytona Beach, Fla. to play Embry-Riddle on Tuesday, April 23 at 5 p.m. before heading to West Georgia next weekend to face the Wolves for the final three-game set.