VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State softball team ran its winning streak to nine games with a doubleheader sweep of visiting Montevallo Saturday afternoon at Steel's Diamond.  VSU won the opener 5-0 and held off a furious rally from the Falcons for a 9-7 win in the nightcap.
 
For the doubleheader, VSU hit a blistering .377 with 14 runs scored, 20 hits, three home runs and 13 RBI, while UM hit .274 with seven runs, 17 hits, one double and six RBI.  The Blazers improved to 16-11 overall and 12-4 in Gulf South Conference play, while Montevallo fell to 15-17 overall and 7-10 in GSC play.
 
Blazer senior and reigning GSC Player of the Week, Aniston Gano, hit .714 for the twin bill on 5 of 7 from the dish with two runs scored, one home run and five RBI.  Graduate student Claire Mauling went 1-0 with one save in 8.1 innings of shutout softball allowing six hits and fanned six with no walks.
 
VALDOSTA STATE 5, MONTEVALLO 0 (GAME ONE)
A leadoff double from Montevallo's Riley Tyree went for not and Maulding worked around it with a pop out, strikeout and ground out.  In the bottom of the inning, junior Rachael Lee singled and then Gano blasted her team-leading eighth home run of the season for a 2-0 lead.
 
Maulding retired the Falcons in order in the second and then junior Charlotte Phillips began the bottom of the inning with a solo home run to left center on a 1-2 count for a 3-0 lead.  VSU then had hits from junior Jayme Prandine and senior Brandie Seber for runners at first and second with one out.  VSU then loaded the bases with a walk, but Tyree made a saving stop at first on what would've been a hit down the line for the third out as the Blazers left the bags full.
 
VSU put runners at second and third with one out in the bottom of the third.  A ground out to second scored a run for a 4-0 lead.  The Falcons made a change in the circle as Kinsley Byrd replaced starter Taylor Lloyd.  Byrd got two outs with runner at second, but Gano put one down the right field line for an RBI single, plating junior Saylor McNearney for a 5-0 lead. 
 
UM had back-to-back singles to begin the top of the fifth.  A fielder's choice got the first out and an infield pop out for the second and Phillips came up with a nice out in right field to end the inning as UM left runners at second and third.  
 
Maulding (12-6) pitched a complete game shutout allowing four hits, walked none and fanned four for her fourth shutout of the season.  Gano was 2 for 3 with three RBI, one home run and a run scored, while Phillips was 2 for 3 with a run scored, one home run and one RBI.  Lloyd (7-7) took the loss in three innings, allowing seven hits, four earned runs, walked one and fanned three.
 
VALDOSTA STATE 9, MONTEVALLO 7 (GAME TWO)
In the nightcap, two singles and an error loaded the bases for the Falcons in the top of the first with one out.  A two RBI single through the right side from Becca Benton gave UM a 2-0 lead.  Senior pitcher Madison Lumpp got a pop out to shortstop for the second out and a ground out got the Blazers out of the jam.
 
McNearney began the bottom of the first with her eighth home run of the season for a 2-1 deficit and the third home run hit by VSU in the doubleheader.  A walk to junior Rachael Lee and she moved to second on a passed ball, before Gano hit a single to the center field wall, plating Lee for a 2-2 score.  After a single up the middle from senior Carly Bogart, UM pulled starter Mya Young in favor of freshman Berkley Mooney.  Freshman Krisley Arnold put down a great sacrifice bunt moving the runners to second and third for just the first out of the frame.  An error on a fielder's choice gave VSU a 3-2 lead.  A ground out plated another run for a 4-2 lead. Sophomore Toree Wofford laced an RBI single to right for a 5-2 score.  A walk to Seber allowed the Blazers to bat around in the inning.  Mooney got a strikeout of McNearney to get out of the inning.
 
A leadoff single from Lee and she stole second, before Gano singled the up the middle plating Lee for a 6-2 score in the bottom of the second.  UM got one run back in the top of the third as two Blazer miscues led to the score trimming the VSU lead to 6-3.
 
With two out and two on in the top of the fourth, VSU made a call to the bullpen in favor of senior Savannah Barfield, replacing Lumpp.  A four pitch walk loaded the bases for UM.  Barfield got a ground out to second to get out of the inning as UM left the bags full.
 
The Blazers loaded the bases in the bottom of the fourth with nobody out.  On a 3-1 count to Arnold, Mooney walked her for a 7-3 score.  Mooney walked Phillips for an 8-3 score and the Falcons brought in Rachel Whiddon to replace Mooney.  Prandine singled home a run for a 9-3 score.  UM got a double play to end the inning. 
 
An infield single and a wild pitch put a runner at second with nobody out for UM in the top of the sixth.  Tyree singled to center plating a run for a 9-4 score.  The second infield hit of the inning put two on, but a nice fielder's choice got the lead runner at third for the first out.  VSU got the second out, but Benton singled to center plating the second run of the inning for a 9-5 score.  A two RBI single from Kennedy Hussey cut the lead to 9-7 as VSU brought in Wofford to replace Barfield in the circle.  Wofford walked two to load the bases as the Blazers brought in Maulding.  On a 3-2 count, Maulding got a pop out to second to end the inning as UM left the bags full once again.
 
The Blazers took a 9-7 lead into the top of the seventh with the top of the order up for the Falcons.  Prandine made a great backhanded stop at second and throw to first for the first out.  Maulding caught Bentlee Stiner looking for the second out.  A single to center followed and another single put runners at first and second.  On a 1-2 count, Maulding fanned Benton to end the game. 
 
Maulding earned her second save of the season, going 1.1 innings, allowing two hits and fanned two.  Barfield (2-3) earned the win in relief of Lumpp.  Barfield went 2.0 innings, allowing six hits, four earned runs and walked one.  Gano went 3 for 4 with one run scored and two RBI, while Bogart was 2 for 4 with two runs scored and McNearney was 1 for 3 with a walk, a home run, one run scored and one RBI.
 
The series will conclude Sunday with a 1 p.m. first pitch and the game will be broadcast on TALK 92.1 WDDQ FM in Valdosta and www.talk921.com, as well as on FloCollege with Wade Beale having the call.