VALDOSTA, Ga. – Valdosta State (9-15, 7-7 GSC) swept a Gulf South Conference doubleheader against Delta State (13-9, 9-5 GSC) Friday afternoon at Billy Grant Field, claiming a pair of tightly contested, low-scoring victories to even its conference record.
The Blazers earned a dramatic 2-1 win in the opener behind seven innings of one-run baseball from junior Garrett Moody, before taking the nightcap 2-1 behind a 7-inning complete game from junior Jack Butler.
Game One - Valdosta State 2, Delta State 1
Valdosta State rallied late to take the opener, scoring the winning run on a walk-off sacrifice fly from senior Jackson Webster in the bottom of the ninth inning to edge the Statesmen 2-1.
Delta State took an early lead in the third inning on a solo home run by Cooper Walls, but the Blazers fought back and tied the game in the sixth. Junior Isaiah Pou sparked the offense with a two-hit performance and scored the tying run, while senior Will Beckham delivered the base hit to bring him home.
Pou finished the game 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored, while sophomore Parker Ladd added a hit and scored the game-winning run.
Moody delivered a strong start, allowing just one run on four hits while striking out nine opposing batters across seven innings. Senior Keaton Fuller closed the game with two scoreless innings, striking out four to record the win.
Game Two - Valdosta State 2, Delta State 1
Valdosta State secured its second win of today's doubleheader in the nightcap with another close game. Butler delivered a complete-game performance on the mound in the day's second 2-1 Blazer victory.
The Blazers broke through in the fourth inning, scoring both of their runs. Junior Jason Mack delivered an RBI single while Pou drove in another run to give Valdosta State the lead.
Delta State plated its lone run in the fifth inning, but Butler kept the Statesmen off the board the rest of the way. The Blazer starter allowed just one run on four hits across seven innings while striking out ten opposing batters to improve to 2-0 on the season.
Senior Brent Howard recorded Valdosta State's lone extra-base hit with a triple, with Mack recording the only other Blazer hit in the victory.
Looking Forward
Valdosta State will conclude this weekend's three-game series against Delta State tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. at Billy Grant Field.
Find live stats, written coverage, streaming links, and more on vstateblazers.com and follow @VState_Blazers as well as @VState_Baseball to stay up to date with the team throughout the season.
