VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State softball team continued its momentum from the big series win last week at Alabama Huntsville with a doubleheader sweep of No. 22 West Alabama Friday afternoon at Steel's Diamond at Blazer Park.  The Blazers won the opener 9-2 and used a walk-off sacrifice fly from junior Jayme Prandine in the nightcap for a 7-6 victory. 
 
The Blazers and Tigers will play the final game of the series Saturday at 12 p.m. with the game broadcast on FloCollege.  VSU improved to 10-11 overall and 6-4 in Gulf South Conference play, while UWA fell to 14-8 overall and 7-4 in GSC play. 
 
For the doubleheader, VSU hit .320 with 16 hits, 16 runs scored, one double, five home runs and 16 RBI.  Senior Aniston Gano and junior Charlotte Phillips each went 3 for 6 with two runs scored, one home run each, while Phillips had a double and four RBI and Gano had two RBI.  Five different Blazers had home runs on the day.  Graduate student Claire Maulding went 2-0 for the day in eight innings of work, allowing two hits, two runs – one earned, walked four and struck out 15. 
 
VSU held the high powered UWA offense to just .176 batting on nine hits, eight runs and three home runs with eight RBI.

VALDOSTA STATE 9, #22 WEST ALABAMA 2 (GAME ONE)
With two out and a 1-2 count in the top of the first, Marissa Mitchell hit a solo home run to right center for a 1-0 lead.  It was Mitchell's sixth home run of the season.  Maulding struck out the side despite the home run.  In the bottom of the frame, an error and a walk put two on with nobody out.  A fly out advanced both runners and a sacrifice fly from senior Carly Bogart plated junior Saylor McNearney for a 1-1 score.  Phillips singled to center plating junior Rachael Lee for a 2-1 lead. 
 
Maulding fanned the first two batters of the second inning for five strikeouts to that point.  A pair of two out walks followed, but Maulding roared back with her sixth strikeout to end the threat.  In the top of the third, a walk, an error on the Blazers and a wild pitch put runners at second and third for UWA with one out.  Mitchell hit a sacrifice fly for a 2-2 score. 
 
Freshman Krisley Arnold began the bottom of the fourth with a single to left snapping a string of seven-straight retired by UWA hurler Madison Wright.  VSU was unable to do anything in the frame leaving Arnold stranded at third.  Maulding fanned the side in the top of the fifth giving her 11 strikeouts for the game. 
 
An error on the Tigers, the second of the game, began the bottom of the sixth and a sacrifice bunt moved junior pinch-runner Evie Pitts to second.  Arnold hit an infield single for runners at the corners with one out in the bottom of the sixth.  Phillips blasted a three-run home run to right center, her second of the season, for a 5-2 VSU lead.  Senior Brandie Seber singled through the right side, plating the fourth run of the inning for a 6-2 score.  McNearney deposited one near where Phillips hit hers for a three-run home run and a 9-2 score chasing Wright from the game and McNearney's team-leading sixth home run of the season.
 
Following Maulding's 12^th strikeout, tying her season-high, to open the top of the seventh, Ella Watson singled to center for just the second hit of the game for UWA and the first since the first inning.  UWA loaded the bases with a walk and a hit batter with one away.  Maulding came back with her season-best 13^th strikeout and a foul out to first ended the game. 
 
Maulding finished allowing two hits, two runs – one earned, walked four and fanned 13 for the Blazers in her best outing of the season improving to 7-6 on the year.  Phillips finished 2 for 4 with a run scored, a home run and four RBI, while McNearney was 1 for 4 with two runs scored, a home run and three RBI.
 
Wright (6-4) went 5.1 innings, allowing six hits, nine runs – six earned, walked three and fanned four.  Mitchell was 1 for 3 with a run scored and one RBI on the home run, while Ann Marie Stanbridge scored the other run. 
 
VALDOSTA STATE 7, #22 WEST ALABAMA 6 (GAME TWO)
Mitchell began the nightcap with a solo home run to right center and a 1-0 lead.  Gano responded in kind in the bottom of the first for her fifth round-tripper of the year and a 1-1 score.  UWA came up with its second twin-killing of the game, this time with a strike-'em-out, throw-'em-out in the second inning for two away after a traditional double play in the first.  A two out walk to sophomore Toree Wofford followed.  On a 3-2 count, junior Jayme Prandine took the Eleanor De Block offering to left field for a two-run home run and a 3-1 lead for Prandine's first home run of the season. 
 
Mitchell walked in the top of the third and then moved to second on a ground out and to third on a steal with two out.  Blazer senior pitcher Madison Lumpp fanned Stanbridge for the final out leaving Mitchell stranded at third.  On a 2-2 count in the top of the fourth Taylor Clegg hit a solo home run to center, trimming the VSU lead to 3-2 as the Blazers brought in Savannah Barfield to replace Lumpp with nobody out.  A single and stolen base put a runner in scoring position with one out.  A foul out to third followed for two out and Barfield stranded the runner at second with a flyout to center. 
 
A walk and a great bunt from Woffod put two on and a wild pitch moved the runners to second and third.  De Block came back with two outs on pop out and strikeout.  On a 3-2 count to McNearney, she was originally called safe on an infield single plating a run, but UWA challenged the call as it was overturned getting the Tigers out of the jam. 
 
In the top of the fifth, an error on the Blazers proved costly as UWA used a two RBI single from Taylor Clegg for a 4-3 Tiger lead with one out.  VSU came up with a great double play as Arnold made a diving grab at shortstop and tossed to third for the double play to get out of the inning. 
 
A one out walk to Gano and then Bogart got on top of the De Block offering for a towering home run to left field and a 5-4 VSU lead in the bottom of the fifth.  A single and a walk with one out in the sixth chased Barfield from the game in favor of Wofford.  It marked the first action in the circle for Wofford since Feb. 9.  A four-pitch walk loaded the bases.  Wofford got a pop out to second, but Stanbridge hit a two run single to center for a 6-5 UWA lead. 
 
Two walks, and a sacrifice bunt put runners at the corners with two out in the bottom of the sixth to UWA reliever Megan Roe.  Gano made her pay with an RBI single to left and a 6-6 score and a single from Bogart loaded the bases.  Roe came up with a strikeout to end the threat as VSU left the bags full.
Maulding relieved Wofford to begin the seventh.  Maulding came up with her 14^th strikeout of the day and first of this game for the first out in the inning bookended the frame with strikeouts sending the game to the bottom of the seventh. 
 
Phillips began the bottom of the seventh with a double off the left field wall and a sacrifice bunt moved her to third.  Prandine hit a deep ball to right field for a sacrifice fly for the walk-off win, plating Phillips for a 7-6 win. 
 
VSU had seven runs on eight hits with one error, while UWA had six runs on seven hits and no errors.  Gano was 2 for 2 with two runs scored, one home run and two RBI, while Bogart was 2 for 3 with a run scored, a home run and two RBI.  Phillips was 1 for 3 with a double and scored the winning run, while Prandine was 1 for 3 with two runs scored, a home run and a team-high three RBI.  Maulding (8-6) took the win in relief pitching one inning and fanning two. 
 
For the Tigers, Stanbridge was 2 for 4 with two RBI, while Clegg was 2 for 4 with a run scored, a home run and three RBI.  Roe (0-1) took the loss in 1.2 innings, allowing two earned runs on three hits with two walks and one strikeout.