VALDOSTA, Ga. — The Valdosta State baseball team (6-12, 4-5 GSC) dropped tonight's matchup to No. 1 Tampa (15-1) by a final score of 14-6 at Billy Grant Field.

The reigning national champion Spartans plated four runs in the opening inning before adding three more in the second to build an early advantage. Tampa continued to apply pressure throughout the night, finishing with 14 runs on 13 hits.

Senior Brent Howard paced the Blazers with a 2-for-5 performance that included a double and an RBI. Junior Isaiah Pou added a double and scored a run, while junior Jason Mack recorded a hit and RBI.

Junior Ryan Strachan reached base twice and scored two runs, and sophomore Parker Ladd continued his strong stretch at the plate since entering the starting lineup with a hit, two walks, a run scored, and a stolen base. The Blazers pushed across runs in the third, fifth, seventh, and ninth innings, highlighted by a three-run seventh that trimmed into the deficit.

Jordan Evans led the offensive effort for Tampa, going 4-for-5 with a home run, two doubles, three runs scored, and two RBI. Brayden Woodburn added three hits and three RBI, while Jake Books drove in three runs. A.J. Graham also homered as part of a two-hit, three-run performance for the Spartans.

Looking Forward

Valdosta State travels to Livingston, Ala., this weekend for a Gulf South Conference series against West Alabama (15-2, 8-1 GSC). The series begins with a doubleheader Friday at 1 p.m., followed by a standalone finale Saturday at 1 p.m.

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 as they roll into GSC play.