AMERICUS, Ga. – The Valdosta State Blazers mashed three home runs as the bullpen allowed a single run in 8.1 innings of work as they won 6-5 versus the Georgia Southwestern Hurricanes on the road on Tuesday night.
 
Jovanni Canegitta went 2-4 at the plate and scored three runs as he hit his first home run since March 1 on a solo shot in the top of the first. Out of the bullpen, Trey Jackson, Anthony Martens, Hayden Sottile, and Ryan Brown combined for 8.1 innings of work as they struck out nine batters and allowed a total of six hits. Hayden Sottile had his best outing of the season as he went 2.0 innings and struck out four. Ryan Brown earned his fifth save of the year on just 11 pitches. Orlando Pema picked up two hits as he started things off quickly with a two run shot into left to put VSU on the board early as he has hit a region leading 17th home run and 62^nd and 63^rd RBI.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
In the top of the first, DJ Banks reached on a one out error by the third baseman to put the first Blazer on. After battling in the count but down 1-2, Orlando Pena got a pitch he couldn't miss as he launched a ball into left field to give the Blazers a 2-0 lead early. After a strikeout from Stowe, Jovanni Canegitta joined the home run club with a solo shot into right field off the netting of the scoreboard as his fourth homer of the year grew the lead to 3-0. GSW was in the hit column early as a leadoff single and double up the middle from Nicholas Plaisted put the pressure on VSU starter Dewey Brock. The Canes would get on the board a few pitches later as a wild pitch made it 3-1. The score would become 3-2 quickly as a high chopper resulted in another hit for Georgia Southwestern. GSW would even things at 3-3 as a fielder's choice at second resulted in a bad throw to bring home the tying run. The Canes would take the lead with two outs on a double from Kaleb Henry into the right field corner as head coach Jan Weisberg went to the bullpen early, bringing in right hander Trey Jackson in relief.
 
GSW starter Braeden Cochran and Trey Jackson were both dealing until Hunter Stowe tied things up at 4-4 in the top of the fourth as he lifted a solo shot into left center to lead things off against the southpaw.
 
The Canes would retake the lead in the bottom of the fifth as a double with one out to place runners at second and third with catcher Noah Roberts lifting a sacrifice fly into left field off VSU's Anthony Martens as GSW was leading 5-4 heading to the top of the sixth.
 
In the top of the sixth, Canegitta would pick up his second hit of the night on a bloop single up the middle, Canegitta would then steal second as Andres Natera drew a walk to put two on with no one out. Marcos Sevillano hit a high chopper that couldn't get any other runner as he moved the tying and go ahead run into scoring position. Raynel Ortiz came in to pinch hit as he lifted a high fly ball into center to bring home Canegitta as things were all even yet again. Anthony Martens came in to pitch another inning in the bottom of the sixth and allowed a single to lead things off before rolling a 6-4-3 double play.
 
After a perfect 1-2-3 in the bottom of the seventh from bullpen arm Hayden Sottile, the Blazers would retake the lead as an errant throw from the shortstop put runners at the corners with no one way with Marcos Sevillano rolling into a double play but not before Canegitta scored for the third time, as VSU was now leading 6-5 heading to the bottom of the eighth.
 
Ryan Brown trotted out in the bottom of the ninth as he was looking for his fifth save of the season. After going ahead 1-2, Brown would force a lazy fly ball to Farid Eljaiek in center for the first out. Brown would whizz through the next hitter, as he set the no. two hitter on three straight pitches for the second out. After getting ahead in the count once again, Brown would force a lazy popup to Pena at third, who corralled it for the final out and a VSU victory.