VALDOSTA —
Valdosta State’s baseball team tallied 10 hits and got a pair of strong pitching performances, and the Blazers topped North Georgia 6-2 at the Comfort Suites Classic on Sunday afternoon at Billy Grant Field.
With the win, VSU improved to 2-1 on the season, while North Georgia fell to 0-3.
Valdosta State never trailed in the game, as it scored the first three runs of the contest.
The Blazers opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning. Jake Montgomery and Ryan McClellan both singled to open the inning before Jake Fields drew a walk. After a double play erased Montgomery, Michael Gouge singled to right to score both McClellan and Fields for a 2-0 VSU lead.
The Blazers added a third run in the bottom of the sixth, as Will Austin and Nick Rodda hit back-to-back two-out triples.
North Georgia closed to within 3-2 with single runs in the seventh and eighth. Tremayne Toorie hit a blooper just off the infield that was lost by McClellan at first for a leadoff double in the sixth and scored three batters later on a ground out. The Saints got a pair of two-out hits in the eighth for their final run.
Valdosta State closed out the scoring with three unearned runs in the eighth inning. Daniel Hoover plated one run on a bases loaded ground out, then Montgomery hit a double to score two more.
Blazer starter Jeremy Holcomb gave up six hits and just one run while striking out five in 6 1/3 innings of work to improve to 1-0. Dom Demasi allowed just two hits and a run while striking out two in 2 2/3 innings to pick up his first save.
Montgomery, McClellan, Gouge and Nick Rodda each had two hits to lead Valdosta State, while Hoover and Will Austin had one each.
North Georgia’s Taylor Keinat surrendered eight hits and three runs, all earned, in six innings to fall to 0-1 on the year. Brett Wright and Toorie each had two hits to lead UNG offensively.
Valdosta State returns to action on Wednesday, when it travels to St. Augustine, Fla. to face Flagler at 5 p.m.
Local Sports
VSU baseball team beats North Georgia, 6-2
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Blazers take 1-0 series lead
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Blazer baseball stays alive, beats Stillman
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Lowndes’ Harwell, Wortham sign with Valdosta State
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Blazers host respected rival UAH in Super Regional
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Pop Warner Football coming to Valdosta
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The nationally known organization that puts an emphasis on education and developing American youth has been established in the Valdosta area and will begin playing football this August. -
Blazers lose to Delta State, fall to loser’s bracket
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The Blazers (33-17) dropped their first game of the tournament Thursday, falling to Delta State 4-2 at UT Baseball Stadium.
VSU will face Stillman College, which lost to No. 1 seed and tournament host Tampa Thursday, Friday at 11 a.m. to advance to the weekend portion of the tournament. The loser will be eliminated. -
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Vikings commit 4 errors, fall to Roswell, 5-2
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On Wednesday, Lowndes’ baseball team made too many mistakes on the little things. The Vikings committed four errors that led to five Roswell runs and were eliminated in the Class AAAAAA state playoffs with a 5-2 loss to the Hornets. -
Vikings, Hornets split
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After splitting with Roswell Tuesday, the Vikings will host the Hornets in game three of the state quarterfinals series today at Noel George Field. First pitch of the winner-take-all game is set for 4:30 p.m. and Lowndes will be the home team after winning the coin toss following Tuesday’s doubleheader. -
Former Lady Blazer Ferguson hired to lead Vikettes
The sign above the door still has Shan Garner’s name on it. There is even a Shan Garner plaque sitting on one of the shelves in the corner of the gymnasium office.
That will soon change, though, as Lowndes has hired its newest girls’ basketball coach. - More Local Sports Headlines
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