On a windy afternoon at Butler Field, the visiting Valdosta State University softball team hit seven home runs in two games to defeat the home Lee University Lady Flames in two games Saturday afternoon 13-5 and 15-5. The two losses dropped Lee to 7-3 overall and 3-2 in Gulf South Conference play.
VSU got the game going quickly with a two-run home run and a triple to score three runs and take a 3-0 lead. Lee got a run back in the bottom half of the frame on a when Bella Galloway drove in Javaria Smith.
The Blazers hit their second home run in the third inning to make it 4-1 on a solo shot to left field.
VSU broke the game open in the fifth inning when Anniston Gano hit a three-run home run to right field that landed in Schimmels Park across the street. That blast made it 7-1. The Lady Flames didn’t go away and pulled within two runs in the bottom of the fifth. Smith started the inning with a two RBI double sending Alexa Scalzo and Shelby Cole home. The very next batter, Galloway, hit a two-run home run to make it a 7-5 contest.
That was a close as Lee would get though as VSU plated six runs in the top of the sixth. An error by Cole in centerfield and a dropped fly by the third baseman Ava Perkins allowed five unearned runs to score in the inning. Lee got two runners on base in the bottom of the sixth but could not score.
Galloway led the Lady Flames with three RBI in game on while Javaria Smith had two. Abigail Welbaum picked up her first loss of the season going five innings and giving up seven runs on eight hits. Olivia Tyson threw one inning giving up six runs with only one being earned on two hits.
Valdosta State scored two unearned runs in the first inning of the second game to take the early lead. They doubled the lead in the top of the second off of a two-run homer from Abbie Sulte. Lee’s first run came in the bottom of the second inning when Laney Harris hit her team leading fifth home run of the season.
The third inning had VSU add another run to extend the lead to 5-1. Lee responded right back with a RBI single from Alexa Scalzo and a RBI double from Hailey Simco. VSU scored runs six, seven, and eight in the fourth by way of a walk, hit by pitch, and a passed ball. Another home run from Sulte in the fifth made it 9-3, then two batters later, Gano hit a two- run home run to make it 11-3.
Lee extended the game in the bottom of the fifth with a sacrifice fly from Galloway and another RBI single from Harris. But in the sixth, VSU added four more runs with a home run from Makenzie Hill, and a single. The final two runs came on wild pitches to give VSU the 15-5 win.
Harris had two RBI to lead Lee while Marquila Howell scored twice. Alaina Watson earned her second loss of the season going three and two-thirds innings giving up eight runs on seven hits with four walks and two strikeouts. Katie Willoughby went two and one-third innings in relief and gave up seven runs on five hits with five walks.
Lee will host Valdosta State for the third and final game of the series on Sunday, February 25 at 1 PM at Butler Field.