LIVINGSTON, Ala. - Valdosta State (6-14, 4-7) dropped both games of a Gulf South Conference doubleheader Thursday at No. 8 West Alabama (18-2, 10-1). The Tigers claimed the opener 4-0 before securing a 6-4 victory in the nightcap.
Game One - Valdosta State 0, No. 8 West Alabama 4
West Alabama opened the day with a 4-0 victory in the first game of the doubleheader.
Junior Garrett Moody turned in a solid outing on the mound for the Blazers, tossing 5.2 innings with six strikeouts while allowing three runs on seven hits. Senior Vinny Del Negro added 1.1 scoreless innings in relief before senior Ty Floyd worked the eighth inning.
Valdosta State recorded eight hits in the contest but was unable to push a run across. Junior Ryan Strachan led the offense with a 2-for-4 performance, while junior Charlie Banks, senior Brent Howard, junior Luke Flading, junior Jason Mack, sophomore Parker Ladd, and junior Matt Keller each added hits. Keller also recorded a triple for the Blazers.
West Alabama broke through in the third inning with two runs before adding single runs in the sixth and eighth innings to secure the shutout. Wayne Wilkerson led the Tigers with three hits and two RBI, while Hudson Walburn added two hits in the win.
Game Two - Valdosta State 4, No. 8 West Alabama 6
West Alabama completed the doubleheader sweep with a 6-4 win in the second game.
The Blazers struck first in the second inning when junior Charlie Banks launched a solo home run to right field. Banks leads the Blazers with five home runs on the season The Tigers answered in the bottom half of the inning with an RBI single from Tanner Jones to tie the contest.
Valdosta State regained the lead in the fifth inning as sophomore Parker Ladd connected on a solo home run to left field, his second of the year. West Alabama responded with three runs in the bottom half of the inning to move in front 4-2.
VSU tied the game in the sixth inning when junior Ryan Strachan delivered a two-run single to score Banks and senior Luca Maberry. The Tigers answered immediately in the bottom half of the inning, plating two runs to secure the 6-4 victory.
Banks and Ladd each homered for the Blazers while Strachan drove in two runs. Seniors Brent Howard and Jackson Webster each added doubles as Valdosta State totaled five hits.
Junior Jack Butler started on the mound and tossed four innings while senior Keaton Fuller added a scoreless inning in relief. Junior Cam Habada was charged with the loss.
West Alabama finished with nine hits in the contest, led by Rashad Robinson who went 2-for-2 with two runs scored.
Looking Forward
Valdosta State will meet No. 8 West Alabama again tomorrow at 1 p.m. in Livingston in the series finale.
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 continue into GSC play.
