VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State baseball team (17-29, 12-18 GSC) split a Saturday doubleheader against Christian Brothers (11-32, 6-24 GSC), falling in a high-scoring opener before bouncing back with a strong pitching performance to take game two at Billy Grant Field.
Game One: Christian Brothers 19, Valdosta State 14
The opener turned into an offensive battle early, with Christian Brothers jumping out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning and never relinquishing its lead despite multiple VSU rallies.
The Buccaneers added runs in each of the first five innings, leading by as much as 12-3 before the Blazers responded in a big way in the fourth, sending 11 batters to the plate and scoring six runs to cut the deficit to 12-9.
Junior Ryan Strachan led the offense, going 2-for-3 with a home run off of the scoreboard at Billy Grant Field, a double, three RBI and three walks. Junior Luke Flading also homered and finished with two hits, three runs scored and an RBI, while junior Charlie Banks drove in four runs on two hits, including a double and a triple.
Junior Jackson Webster provided a key spark as a pinch hitter off the bench with a three-run home run, while senior Brent Howard added two hits in the effort.
The Buccaneers scored another four runs in the fifth and added insurance runs in the seventh and ninth innings to hold off the Blazer comeback attempts.
Game Two: Valdosta State 4, Christian Brothers 1
The Blazers responded in game two behind a strong performance on the mound and eight hits, limiting Christian Brothers to just one hit in a 4-1 victory.
Graduate Trey Jackson set the tone on the mound with 6.0 strong innings while allowing just one run on one hit with nine strikeouts to earn the win. Senior Keaton Fuller closed the door in the seventh, striking out two to secure his first save of the season.
Valdosta State broke through in the third inning, as Strachan delivered an RBI single to give the Blazers a 1-0 lead. The offense added two more in the fifth and one in the sixth.
Flading put together another strong showing at the plate, going 3-for-4 with an RBI, while senior Marcos Sevillano recorded two hits and drove in a run. Junior Jason Mack added a hit and scored a run, and Howard crossed the plate once in the win.
Christian Brothers' lone run came in the sixth inning.
Looking Forward
The Blazers have wrapped up their home slate and will be back in action on the road this Tuesday at Embry-Riddle (18-20).
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.
