VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State baseball team held an early 1-0 lead on visiting Florida Tech in the 2026 home-opener, but was unable to hang on as the Panthers scored six unanswered runs for a 6-1 victory Thursday evening.
Florida Tech (4-0) outhit the Blazers 10-4 for the game, while VSU was led by a 2 for 3 game from junior
Isaiah Pou as he plated the lone run of the game. Junior
Luke Flading also was 2 for 3 with a double and scored a run. VSU (1-4) used nine pitchers in the game as each pitched one inning. Three errors by the red and black led to two unearned runs for the Panthers.
Blazer sophomore starter
Jacob King worked out of a bases loaded jam as there as a play at the plate for the second out and he got a fly out for the third. In the bottom of the second, Flading singled through the left side and moved to second on a wild pitch, before Pou singled to left plating the run.
The Panthers tied the game in the top of the third as redshirt freshman
Boomer Dunn got two big strikeouts and had a 3-2 count with two away on Gabe Roque, but he laced a single through the right side, plating William Rollings for a 1-1 score. Dunn then struck out Bryan Perez to end the inning striking out the side.
Florida Tech plated two runs in the fourth courtesy of a Tyler McClanahan RBI double to left and then a fielding error on the Blazers plated the second run for a 3-1 score. VSU had runners at second and third in the fourth, but were unable to score. The Panthers added two more in the sixth with back-to-back RBI doubles for a 5-1 score and added a run on a wild pitch in the ninth for the final margin.
Panther starter Jacob Pino went six innings, allowing three hits, one earned run, walked two and fanned nine to move to 2-0 on the year, while Blake Holshouser earned his second save of the season, going three innings and allowing one hit with two walks and he fanned three. Three different Panthers had two hits each in the contest.
The teams continue the series tomorrow at 4 p.m. at Billy Grant Field at Tommy Thomas Park.
