LAKELAND, Fla. – Behind a strong outing in the circle from graduate student Claire Maulding and scoring three runs in the top of the seventh, the Valdosta State softball team swept a doubleheader at Florida Southern Friday afternoon, winning the opener 5-0 and then a 10-8 thriller in the nightcap. 
 
Maulding won both games of the twin bill as she improved to 4-1 on the year.  For the doubleheader, she pitched 8.1 innings, allowing three hits, no runs, one walk and ten strikeouts.  Offensively, the Blazers hit .381 for the doubleheader with 15 runs scored 24 hits, five doubles, one triple, one home run and 14 RBI.  Freshman Krisley Arnold went 5 of 7 from the dish (.714) with two doubles, four runs scored and drove in one. Junior Rachael Lee was 4 of 7 from the plate with five runs scored, one double, one home run and three RBI.
 
The Blazers improved to 4-3 on the year and now travel to No. 10 Tampa for a doubleheader Saturday, beginning at 2 p.m.  Check back with vstateblazers.com on the softball schedule page for links to live stats and audio/video streaming of the games.
 
VALDOSTA STATE 5, FLORIDA SOUTHERN 0 (GAME ONE)
The Blazers used a leadoff double from Lee and a nice bunt single from junior Saylor McNearney for runners at the corners.  McNearney and Lee used a double steal for a 1-0 lead.  Maulding sat down the Mocs in order in the bottom of the inning.  In the top of the second, VSU loaded the bases and McNearney walked for a 2-0 lead, but that was all the Blazers could get, leaving the bags full.
 
Maulding retired the first eight batters she faced, before an error put Gabby Young at first with two out in the bottom of the third.  Young stole second and another error put runners at the corners on a 1-2 count.  On a 3-2 count, Maulding fanned Jadyn Bushnell for her third strikeout to get out of the jam. 
 
Arnold began the top of the fourth with a single to center.  Lee then blasted her second home run of the season, plating Arnold for a 4-0 lead.  An error on the Mocs, a single up the middle from senior Carly Bogart and a hit batsman loaded the bases, once again, but the Blazers left the bags full for the second time in the game. 
 
Maulding pitched another three-up-three-down inning in the bottom of the fourth and Arnold tallied her second hit of the game in the top of the fifth with one out.  A ground out moved Arnold to second and VSU left two stranded for ten left on base to that point. 
 
FSC had its first hit of the game to begin the bottom of the fifth with a leadoff single from Keira Morris, but Maulding came back with two strikeouts and a pop out to end the threat.  The Mocs went to the bullpen to begin the top of the sixth as Kayla Hickey relieved starter Ella Torres who went five innings, allowing seven hits, four earned runs, walked five and fanned three.
 
Arnold tallied her third hit of the game to begin the top of the seventh and junior Adrianna Portanova tripled to center, plating Arnold for a 5-0 lead and the second three-bagger hit by the Blazers this season. 
 
Maulding sat the Mocs down in order in the seventh as she improved to 3-1 on the year with a seven-inning, two-hit outing with nine strikeouts and no walks.  It was her second shutout of the season.
 
Offensively, the Blazers tallied five runs on 11 hits as Arnold finished 3 for 3 with two runs scored and a walk, while Lee was 2 for 4 with two runs scored, two RBI, a double, a home run and a walk, while junior Charlotte Phillips was 2 for 4.
 
Torres (0-2) took the loss for the Mocs, while Hickey went two innings, allowing four hits, one earned run and fanned three.
 
VALDOSTA STATE 10, FLORIDA SOUTHERN 8 (GAME TWO)
In the nightcap, Florida Southern plated four runs in the bottom of the first using four-straight singles with one out plating two runs.  With two away, Kelsey Kadlub singled home two runs for a 4-0 lead with VSU making a change in the circle as senior Madison Lumpp replaced senior starter Savannah Barfield. 
 
The initial lead was short lived, however, as the Blazers came roaring back in the top of the second with Arnold doubling home a run and a sacrifice fly made the score 4-2 from Portanova.  Lee singled home a run, followed by a RBI double from McNearney and senior Aniston Gano hit a two RBI single to center for a 5-4 score. 
 
Florida Southern (1-3) tied the game on a fielder's choice from Morgan Roden in the bottom of the third and then took the lead in the sixth as Roden plated Kate Mikle, who tripled earlier in the inning for a 6-5 FSC lead.
 
The Blazers regained the lead in the top of the sixth as Gano singled through the left side, plating Lee and Bogart had a sacrifice fly to center plating McNearney for a 7-6 lead.  FSC, once again, had the answer as Mikle singled home two runs on a 1-2 count in the bottom of the frame for an 8-7 lead.  Maulding came in and got Kadlub to fly out to left to end the inning.
 
Down to their final at bat, the Blazers began the seventh with a double from Arnold and four-straight walks gave VSU a 9-8 lead.  Senior Brandie Seber singled to left for a 10-8 lead.  FSC began its last at bat with a leadoff walk, a single and a wild pitch moved the runners into position, but Maulding got Alissa Kessler to ground out to end the game.