Valdosta State University pitching held Lee University to only three hits in the opening game of a doubleheader on Saturday at Billy Grant Field and posted a 5-1 victory. In the nightcap, the Blazers scored on an error in the bottom of the seventh and claimed an 8-7 win in capturing the three-game series 2-1. The two losses dropped the Flames to 15-12 in the GSC and 23-18 overall. Valdosta State improved to 18-8, 24-17.
The Flames will seek to rebound from the heartbreaking loss when they host powerful North Greeneville University (SC) on Tuesday in a single nine-inning contest at Larry Carpenter Stadium.
Game 1 – Valdosta 5, Lee 1
The Blazers collected only six hits but took advantage of four errors and six free passes by the Flames in the opening victory.
VSU put two runs on the board in the second inning and added one more run in the third to jump out to the 3-0 advantage. They added a pair of deciding scores in the bottom of the eighth.
JJ Williams tripled for one of Lee’s three hits while Tucker Platt and Ashton Simmons had the other one-base knocks. It was Simmons who collected Lee’s only RBI and Josiah Miller tallied the single run. Luke Collier drew a pair of free passes and had two official trips to the plate.
Zachary Lawson (1-3) was the starting and losing Lee hurler. He worked 1.2 innings allowing one hit and two earned runs. He issued four free passes and fanned two. Ty Cobb came on for 6.1 frames. The right-hander gave up five hits, two earned runs, walked a couple and struck out two.
Hunter Booth (6-4) was credited with the win. He pitched seven complete innings and gave up all three of the Flames hits and one earned run. He struck out 13 Lee batters and walked four. Ryan Brown came on for the final two innings and earned the save. He did not surrender a hit, walking one and picking up two strike outs.
Game 2 – Valdosta 8, Lee 7
The battle went back and forth for the entire seven innings. The Flames tied the contest at seven in the top of the sixth when Williams hit his second homerun of the game.
The Blazers threatened in the bottom of the inning, but Isaiah French threw the runner out trying to steal second. Lee opened the final inning with a fly out, but Brock Sisson stroked a one-base hit and Levi Cloud walked. Simmons moved the runners to second and third with a sac bunt but Williams flied out to right to end the threat.
Will Baker came onto pitch for Tim Gooden who worked the fifth and sixth innings for the Flames. DJ Banks and Jovanni Canegitta opened the frame with singles. Orlando Pena hit what looked like a ground ball double play to third. Miller stepped on the bag but his low throw to first skipped away from first basemen Platt, allowing Canegitta to score the winning run.
Lee out-hit the Blazers 12-11 in the loss. Williams blasted two homeruns, posted three RBI and scored three times. French was 3-of-3, including two doubles. He also scored once. Platt had three one-base knocks in three trips to the dish. He also plated a pair of runs. Sisson was the other Lee hitter with a pair of hits while Luke Collier had a hit and scored a run. Malachi Cloud had a hit and a RBI while Levi Cloud and Simmons scored runs for the Flames.
Pena was top-gun for the Blazers. He blasted a homerun and a double, finishing with three hits and three RBI. Hunter Stowe banged out a pair of two-base hits, knocked in three runs and scored once. No other VSU player had more than one hit.
Seth Parker started for the Flames and pitched two innings. He allowed four hits and three earned runs. Jax Howard worked the next two frames. He gave up a pair of hits and an earned run but fanned three hitters. David White surrendered two earned runs before Gooden came on to pitch two frames. He allowed two hits and an earned run while Baker (2-5) was the hard-luck loser. In 1/3 of an inning, he gave up two hits and no earned runs.
The Blazers sent four hurlers to the mound. Drake LaRoche pitched 4.1 innings allowing eight hits and three earned runs. Brown (3-1) made his second appearance of the afternoon and picked up the win. In 1.1 innings he allowed one hit and no earned runs.