VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State baseball team scored the first 11 runs of the game en route to a 17-8 victory in the first of a two game series.  The second game of the series is set for Wednesday at 3 p.m. at Billy Grant Field at Tommy Thomas Park.
 
The Blazers improved to 9-9 on the year, while Nova Southeastern fell to 11-7.  VSU scored 17 runs on 13 hits with two errors, while NSU had eight runs on 14 hits and no errors.  Five different Blazers had two hits each as senior Orlando Pena was 2 for 4 with two runs scored, a home run, double and six RBI.  The win marked the Blazers' fourth-straight game of scoring double-digit runs. NSU was led by Boris Pena who was 3 for 5 with two runs scored and two RBI.   VSU entered the game ninth in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) South Region Top Ten, while Nova entered at fifth in the region poll.
 
Blazer senior pitcher Trey Jackson worked around a walk and a single to get out of the top of the first and senior Pedro Moreno hit an infield single, followed by senior DJ Banks putting a double down the left field line all the way to the wall, plating Moreno for a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first.  In the second, Jackson worked around trouble, once again, with a leadoff error, but got a pair of strikeouts for two away and registered the second-straight looking strikeout as he fanned the side leaving a man stranded at second. 
 
In the bottom of the inning, senior Marcos Sevillano drew a leadoff walk and then junior Easton Hood blasted an RBI double to right center for a 2-0 score and nobody out.  A single from senior Cole Steinmetz put runners at the corners.  Senior Will Beckham hit a sacrifice fly to right, plating Hood for a 3-0 lead.  Senior Jovanni Canegitta singled up the middle on a 3-2 count with two out, plating the third run of the inning and a 4-0 lead.  Senior Orlando Pena hit a three-run home run to left for his fourth round-tripper of the season and a 7-0 lead. 
 
NSU put runners at the corners with two out in the top of the fourth.  Jackson came back with his second strikeout looking of the inning and sixth strikeout of the game to get out of the jam leaving two more stranded on base for six in the game to that point.
 
Senior JJ Finn pitched the fifth for the Blazers as he was aided by an inning-ending 543 double play.  Jackson pitched four innings, allowing three hits, walked two and fanned six as he didn't factor into the decision.  Two solid singles from the Blazers with nobody out in the bottom of the fifth and a wild pitch moved the runners to second and third.  Sevillano singled up the middle, plating both runs for a 9-0 lead, chasing NSU reliever JC Hernandez from the game.  Hood hit his second double of the game, down the left field line for runners at second and third with nobody out.  A wild pitch followed for a 10-0 lead plating a run and then a ground out to second plated the fourth run of the frame and an 11-0 lead.
 
The Sharks began the top of the sixth with a pair of singles.  Finn came back with a strikeout for the first out and a fly out to center followed with the runner advancing to third on the fly out.  Zeth Rodriguez hit a high chopper just over the head of Pena at third, plating NSU's first run of the game.  Nick Rodriguez singled up the middle for an 11-2 score.  A hit batsmen followed to load the bases. Justin Wachs doubled down the left field line for an 11-4 score. 
 
Boris Pena hit a solo home run off Blazer junior reliever Tristan Bohler to begin the top of the seventh for an 11-5 score.  A single to center and an error put two on for the Sharks with one out.  The Blazers made a move to the bullpen in favor of junior Keaton Fuller.  A fielder's choice out plated the second run of the inning for NSU for an 11-6 score. 
 
VSU used a hit batsman and a walk to begin the bottom of the seventh, but a pop out to third followed for the first out.  A walk loaded the bases and a passed ball scored the 12^th run of the game for the Blazers.  A two RBI single up the middle from Banks followed for a 14-6 score and then Pena hit a double to center, clearing the bases for a 17-6 score. 
 
The Sharks added single runs in the eighth and ninth for the 17-8 final margin.