SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Valdosta State Blazers saw their three-game win streak end on Tuesday night as they fell to a walk off grand slam by Lions cleanup hitter Caleb Adams with a final score of 7-5. The Blazers dropped to 5-9 on the season while they are still 4-1 in GSC play. Valdosta State has to keep their head up as they head to Alabama Huntsville on Friday, Feb. 28 for a three-game set with the Chargers.
 
It looked like VSU had control most of the way until a miscue in the field and two walks doomed the Blazers in the bottom of the ninth. Each team tallied ten hits while Pena hit one home run while driving in three for VSU while Adams belted two dingers for SLU and drove in five. DJ Banks extended his on-base streak to 14 games as he went 3-5 with 2 RBI. Valdosta State used a total of seven arms as they combined for seven runs with only four of them being earned while striking out a total of five hitters. Valdosta State is now 0-3 on Tuesday games this year and 2-5 on the road.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
Pedro Moreno led things off with a single up the middle to put the leadoff man aboard. Following a lineout from DJ Banks, Moreno would advance to second on a stolen base before Jovanni Canegitta drew a walk to place runners at first and second with one out. On an 0-1 count, Orlando Pena was left a ball right over the plate and he took advantage, launching his third homer of the season into the palm trees into left as he watched it fly for an early 3-0 Blazer lead. Newcomer Dewey Brock got the call for his first start of the year and went right to work in the bottom of the first as he went a perfect 1-2-3 inning on three weekly hit balls as VSU was leading SLU 3-0 after an inning of play.
 
Saint Leo starting pitcher Nick Wilson was working quickly in the top of the second as he struck out Hood on five pitches before catcher Will Beckham hit a hard ground ball into left for the third Blazer hit of the afternoon. Farid Eljaiek would bloop a ball right in-between the first baseman, second baseman, and the right fielder to put a runner in scoring position with one away. A liner to center would retire Moreno for the second out of the inning. After battling balls off on a 2-2 count, DJ Banks would punch a ball up the middle for a big two-out RBI as Beckham raced home with Valdosta State extending the lead to 4-0. The Lions would pick up their first hit in the bottom of the second on a single from Ryan Robinson into left with one away. Brock would then walk the next hitter on three pitches as SLU had a runner in scoring position with one away. After falling behind 2-1, Brock would battle and force a popout for the second out of the inning. Brock ran the count full before walking the hitter to load the bases with two down to bring the tying run to the plate. On a 2-2 count, Brock got the last hitter swinging but a drop third strike brought a run home as it was 4-1. After jumping ahead 0-2, a tough dribbler was misplayed as the Lions cut the lead in half with the Blazers leading 4-2 through two.
 
Valdosta State was threatening in the top of the third as a walk and stolen base from Andres Natera brought up slugger Easton Hood, who lasered a ball into right center but a fantastic play from centerfielder Caleb Adams stole a hit and a run from the Blazers. VSU would come back with strong defense of their own in the bottom half as Eljaiek made a great play in center on the run to make the third out the innings as VSU continued to lead SLU 4-2 after three innings of ball.
 
After a walk and stolen base from Beckham, DJ Banks was clutch at the plate yet again he drove in Beckham for the second time with two outs on a slicing ball into right to extend the VSU lead to 5-2 as situational hitting was on point with the Blazers in Florida. Head coach Jan Weisberg went to the bullpen in the bottom of the fourth as he brought in Trent Lewis in relief for Brock. Dewey finished with a line of 3.0 IP, three walks, one strikeout, and two runs with none of them being earned on 48 pitches with 24 of those being strikes. Hood made a play on the run in left on a 3-1 count to retire Lewis' first batter. A flyout followed by a sharp pick at first base by Hunter Stowe retired the Lions in order in the bottom of the fourth.
 
Peña singled up the middle on the first pitch he saw in the top of the fifth as he met new Drew Rudsinski with a bullet back to the sender. Rudsinksi would come back with a strikeout for the first out of the inning. Rudsinski would make quick work of the next two batters as he sat down three straight Blazers after surrendering a leadoff single. JJ Finn took the hill to open the bottom half and set the first batter down on strikes as he caught him looking. A hard hit ball to short resulted in a hit as Saint Leo had one aboard with one down. Following a great play by Canegitta at the wall in right. Caleb Adams roped a ball into the left field corner to place runners at second and third with two down. After going down 3-0 in the count, Valdosta State elected to intentionally walk the batter to load the bases and forced an out at any base. After drawing the count even at 1-1, Finn would force a chopper to Natera at short who underhanded the ball to Banks at second to escape a jam as the Blazers led 5-2 through five.
 
The Blazers took a chance in the top of the sixth as a two-out rally resulted in Moreno behind waved around third on another hit from DJ Banks with Moreno was gunned at the plate by a perfect relay to keep the score at 5-2 going to the bottom of the sixth. Weisberg's squad ran into trouble in the bottom of the sixth as Trey Jackson came in and retired the first batter he saw until a single and fielder's choice moved a runner into scoring position. A hard ground ball up the middle was stopped by Natera that resulted in a hit but saved a run as runners were on the corners with two down. The Lions attempted a double steal that was sniffed out by the Blazer infield as they caught the runner at third in a rundown as Jackson escaped the jam thanks to strong defense from the infield as it remained 5-2.
 
Caleb Adams would stay hot for the Lions as the center fielder tallied his second extra-base hit of the night as he lifted a solo shot into left as to make it a two run game as the Blazers led 5-3 through seven innings of play.
 
VSU was desperate for some insurance in the top of the eighth as Hood singled up the gut with one away. Beckham singled to right on the very next pitch as Garrett Byrd pinch-ran for VSU and slid into third to put runners at the corners with one away. Eljaiek attempted a bunt in-between the pitcher and first base as SLU pitcher Kaelan Racculia laid out for a diving catch to then double Beckham at first to end the threat with no blood. Keaton Fuller was the sixth Blazer to take the mound in the bottom of the eighth as he fanned the first batter on high cheese for out number one. Fuller would force an easy flyout to left before getting the last batter swinging again as he went a perfect 1-2-3 with three outs to go.
 
Following a quick top of the ninth, Weisberg went right back to Fuller in the bottom of the ninth, as he struck out the first batter he saw for the first out. A single up the middle followed by an error by the third baseman placed the tying run at first with one away. Fuller quickly got ahead 0-2 in the count before Rivera-Ma battled evened to make the count full at 3-2. The first baseman would draw a walk after being down 0-2 to load the bases with one out. Assistant coach Geoff Bramblett went to bullpen and brought in Anthony Martens to try and pickup his second save of the season in a high leverage spot with the cleanup hitter stepping up to the plate. On a 3-1 count, Caleb Adams nuked his second home run of the game for a walk off grand slam as Saint Leo won 7-5.