TAMPA, Fla. - The Valdosta State baseball team (14-24) stormed back from a 7-3 deficit with a five-run seventh inning to knock off No. 2 Tampa (28-6) on Tuesday evening at Tampa Baseball Field.
The Blazers took a 1-0 lead in the opening inning but spent most of the night playing from behind as Tampa built a 7-3 lead through six. The team plated single runs in the fourth and fifth innings to stay within striking distance, but the momentum fully shifted in the seventh.
Junior Ryan Strachan delivered a three-run home run and senior Brent Howard hit an RBI double as the Blazers erupted for five runs in the inning to erase the deficit and take their first lead since the opening frame.
Strachan delivered the biggest swing and line of the night, finishing 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBI. Junior Luke Flading reached base four times, going 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two walks, while sophomore Parker Ladd added two hits and scored twice from the leadoff spot. Howard and junior Jason Mack also drove in runs as part of the seventh-inning surge.
On the mound, junior Hunter Ward provided a massive performance, shutting the door out of the bullpen with 3.1 scoreless innings and five strikeouts to earn the win and complete the upset. Senior Preston James provided a no-hit inning of relief work and junior Ty Floyd tossed 0.2 innings of scoreless work as a part of a strong night from the staff.
Tampa led for a chunk of the game and found offense with 11 hits, but VSU found 12 as Ward and the pitching staff held firm to secure the victory over the reigning national champions.
Looking Forward
The Valdosta State baseball team (14-24, 10-14 Gulf South Conference) will continue its road trip with a series at Lee (25-13, 15-9 GSC) this weekend. The series will begin with a single game on Friday night at 5 p.m. and conclude with a doubleheader on Saturday beginning 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 throughout the season.
