The No. 22 Valdosta State Blazers (9-1, 1-0) showcased why they are one of the top teams in the nation as they spoiled the Lee softball home opener with a 9-1 victory over the Lady Flames (6-7, 0-1) on an overcast Friday afternoon from Butler Field.
The Lady Flames struggled to cash in early opportunities against the Blazers ace Caylie Van Auken. Lee left two on in the first inning and the bases juiced in the third inning. Van Auken improved to 5-0 in the circle as she tossed five innings allowing one run on six hits.
She struck out seven and walked a pair. Kasie Johnson tossed the final two frames and earned her first save of the season.
The Lady Flames did get on the board in the fifth inning off of Van Auken on a solo home run off the bat of freshman Taylor De Adder. Overall Lee left 11 on base in the contest. Kayla Louie had three singles, Kayla Gooch doubled and Bailey Church walked three times.
The Blazers turned a 3-1 nail biter into a dominating 9-1 win with one run in the sixth and a five spot in the seventh. Logan Hill homered to start the seventh before Lacey Crandall drilled a two-run single to extend the lead to 7-1. Dream Aaron capped off the scoring with a singe through the right side to score the final two runs.
Shonna Penney (2-4) was tagged with the loss. She worked 6.1 innings and allowed seven runs on hits. Control proved to be an issue as Penney surrendered nine free passes.
"I think some of our injuries are really sinking in but Valdosta's a great team and have beaten a lot of top teams and have some great pitching so give them credit. We didn't play well, we got some hits and had runners on base but we've got to cash in on those opportunities," said Lee head coach Emily Russell. "We gave up way too many free passes to them and eventually it caught up with us in the later innings."
The Lady Flames and Blazers will wrap up the series with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.