Following the pair of wins, VSU improved to 27-19 on the year with a 17-9 mark in the GSC. Meanwhile, CBU dropped to 18-29 overall and 9-20 in conference play.
Prior to the first game, four seniors:
Melkayla Irvis,
Nadia Zenteno,
Morgan Hill and
Katie Proctor were all honored for their contributions to the Valdosta State softball program as part of Senior Day.
Game #1: Valdosta State 9, Christian Brothers 1 (5 Innings)
The Blazers jumped out front at the start of the first game of the afternoon as
Aniston Gano tallied the first hit for the Blazers on a single up the middle. The red-hot sophomore
Saylor McNearney then crushed her 10th home run of the year on a rocket out to left, giving VSU a 2-0 lead by the end of the second.
The Lady Bucs answered back in the top of the third with a solo shot to deep center, cutting the VSU lead in half, 2-1. However, Valdosta State struck back with a rally in the bottom of the third as
Morgan Hill cracked a double to the fence to score junior
Brandie Seber and give the Blazers a 3-1 lead. Gano kept the rally going with her second base hit of the afternoon to score both Hill and junior
Abby Sulte to put the Blazers up by four, 5-1.
Abby Sulte continued to move up the ranks in Valdosta State history as she crushed her 25th home run of the season on a lead-off pitch in the bottom of the fifth, adding a run to the VSU lead, 6-1. This puts Sulte tied for second with Marti Littlefield in program history in single season home runs while she is just two shy of Courtney Albritton's program and GSC-leading 27.
The Blazer offense continued to stay hot in the fifth as Hill took a walk before junior
Carly Bogart dropped a bloop single over in left field to put two Blazers on. Gano then cracked her third hit of the game on a base knock to score Hill and put VSU up six, 7-1. Like clockwork,
Katie Proctor blasted a single to right field to give the Blazers another run, 8-1. Later in the frame, graduate student Melkalya Irvis "called game" on a laser over the centerfielder's head to bring in the ninth Blazer run and end the game behind the run rule, 9-1 (5 Innings).
Junior pitcher
Madison Lumpp (8-5) got the start in the circle in game one, putting together an excellent outing in which she went all five innings for her second complete game of the season. In her eighth win of the year, she allowed just one run on two hits in which she walked no batters to earn Guardian Bank Player of the Game honors.
The Blazer offense collected 10 hits in the first game of the series including a double from Hill and home runs from both McNearney and Sulte. VSU was led at the plate by Gano who came up with a hit in every one of her three plate appearances for one run and three RBI.
Game #2: Valdosta State 8, Christian Brothers 5
The Lady Bucs scored first in the second game of the afternoon, blasting a two-run shot just shy of the left field foul pole to take a 2-0 lead in the top of the third. However, the Blazers answered back in explosive fashion in the bottom of the third. The frame kicked off with a single and stolen base from Hill as Gano stepped up to the dish. The white-hot Gano continued her spectacular day at the plate, launching her 17th homer of the year on a two-run blast to put VSU right back in the contest, 2-2.
Valdosta State ended up taking the lead in the bottom of the fourth as a sacrifice fly from Hill brought Irvis home from third to give the Blazers the narrow 3-2 lead. Sulte then singled to center bringing Gano up to the plate once again. With runners on first and third, Gano once again delivered, cranking a three-run bomb to left center to put VSU up by four in a hurry, 6-2.
Christian Brothers remained resilient, cracking another two-run home run in the top of the fifth to cut the Valdosta State lead to two, 6-4. CBU continued to chip away at the VSU lead, tallying a run on an RBI double in top of the sixth to slice the Blazer lead to just one, 6-5.
In the bottom of the sixth, Valdosta State continued to strike as a fielder's choice and a walk put two Blazers in scoring position following a CBU passed ball. Sophomore
Jayme Prandine came into the game and delivered, dropping a well-placed hit in center field to score two more and give the Blazers an 8-5 advantage heading into the seventh.
Despite getting into some late trouble with runners on first and second, junior
Savannah Barfield and the Valdosta State defense managed to get out of the jam as Hill made a great diving grab in right field for the third out. Following a little seventh inning drama, the Blazers claimed the second game of the day, 8-5.
The Lady Bucs saw three different Blazer pitchers in the second game of the afternoon. Graduate student
Nadia Zenteno got the start, going three innings while allowing two runs (zero earned) on four hits while striking out one and walking two. Freshman
Toree Wofford (9-2) picked up the win, going two innings while allowing three runs on three hits with one walk. Barfield pitched the final two innings of the game, allowing just one hit and one walk to earn her first save of the season.
The Blazers racked up seven hits in the second game of the series including a pair of home runs. VSU was once again led at the plate by Gano who collected her second multi-home run game of the season on two home runs including a two-run shot and a three-run homer. Overall, she had two hits in the second matchup of the day in four plate appearances for two runs and five RBI to earn Guardian Bank Player of the Game honors.
The Blazers are set to be back in action on Sunday afternoon as they look to go for the series sweep against Christian Brothers at 1 p.m. For more information on Valdosta State softball, visit vstateblazers.com and head to the softball schedule page.
