ALBANY —
Valdosta State put on a dominating performance in a sweep of Albany State Wednesday night to move to 5-1 on the season. The Blazers beat the Golden Rams, 10-0 and 21-0 in a run-ruled game.
Valdosta State saw 12 Blazers record a hit on the day, led by Samantha Posey in her return from injury. Posey notched five hits, five runs batted in and three runs in eight at bats. She also walked twice.
Freshman Courtney Albritton continued her strong start to her collegiate career with a four-hit day, scoring five runs, batting in six and scoring five runs. Six other Blazers had three hits on the day.
Gulf South Conference Pitcher of the Week Alanna Hadley earned another win, going seven innings in the first game. She gave up six hits, walked two and struck out four. In the second game, Courtney Gunby and Julia Fink split time with Gunby pitching three innings and Fink for two. The duo struck out three and only gave up two hits.
Valdosta State scored all its runs in the first game in the last three innings, the only reason the first game wasn’t shortened due to the run rule. Once the VSU bats started rolling, the runs piled up and didn’t stop until the final inning of the day.
After only notching three hits in the first four innings, VSU started to make contact in the fifth, scoring three runs on just two hits.
Ashley Steinhilber started the inning with a hit by pitch, and then April Hutchens sacrificed Steinhilber to second. Albritton singled next, then Posey reached on an error. Senior stalwart brought the base runners in with a triple to right field.
The Blazers scored four runs in the sixth after a three-run fifth. Erika Trojan, three for five on the day, reached on a bunt, then Steinhilber was hit for the second consecutive at bat. Colette Rollins, pinch hitting for Hutchens, singled to left field next.
Albritton hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score Trojan, then Morgan Johnson walked. Posey hit next and recorded her second hit of the first game to scored Steinhilber. Littlefield followed with her second extra-base hit of the game on a double to left center to plate two more runs.
Valdosta State added three more runs in the seventh inning to keep the game out of reach. The bottom half of the lineup scored seven of VSU’s 10 first-game runs.
The second game was out of hand in a flash when the Blazers put up eight first inning runs. Albritton led with a double followed by another one from Johnson. After a Posey pop up, Littlefield singled to start a succession of five consecutive singles by Littlefield, Natalia Morozova, Clare Wamsley, Steinhilber and Trojan. Albritton scored twice in the inning.
Wamsley led the second inning with a walk before Steinhilber was hit for the third time. Hutchens singled next to load the bases, then Albany State walked Albritton to score Wamsley. Posey singled next to score two runs after Steinhilber scored on a wild pitch. The Blazers would hold a 14-run advantage before the second inning was over.
Valdosta State scored in every inning but the fourth in the second game.
The Blazers will look to keep the momentum going as they head to Saint Leo this weekend to face Saint Leo, Pittsburg State, Lindenwood and Tampa at 9 and 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Top Sports News
Blazer softball dominates Albany State
Valdosta State scored 31 runs in two games
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VSU softball wins South Region, headed to nationals
For the third time in four years, and second in a row, Valdosta State’s softball team will play in the national championship tournament.
The Blazers won their third South Region championship Saturday, beating Alabama-Huntsville 8-3 in game three of the best-of-three series at Steel’s Diamond at Blazer Park. -
Pop Warner Football coming to Valdosta
Pop Warner Football is coming to Valdosta.
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. -
Vikings commit 4 errors, fall to Roswell, 5-2
The small things matter in baseball, especially in a winner-take-all game three.
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. -
VSU wins 7th GSC Men’s All-Sports Trophy
Look out Title Town, another trophy is coming to town.
Valdosta State’s athletic department was awarded a seventh Gulf South Conference Men’s All-Sports Trophy Tuesday, sharing the honor with West Florida.
The tie between VSU and West Florida marked the first time in the GSC’s 42-year history that a pair of schools shared the honor. Both schools finished the athletic season with 29.5 points, based on the conference’s point system that gauges athletic success. -
VSU softball beats Tampa, 12-6, to host Super Regional
Kiley Rusen picked a good time to have a career breakout day for the Valdosta State softball team. Slugging her first-career home run and triple, while driving in six runs, Rusen led the charge as the Blazers routed Tampa 12-6 to advance to a second straight NCAA South Super Regional Tournament.
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Vikings sweep Alcovy
Cory Pope gave the Lowndes Vikings everything they needed in game one of Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Alcovy Tigers. Then in game two, Lowndes’ offense came alive and provided plenty of support as the Vikings swept Alcovy 2-0 and 8-1 in the second round of the Class AAAAAA state playoffs at Noel George Field.
With the sweep, the Vikings advance to the Elite 8 — the state quarterfinals — where they will face either Roswell or Mill Creek, who will meet in a doubleheader today in Hoschton, on Tuesday. -
Berrien girls’ tennis in Final Four
It’s been quite the year for the Berrien girls’ tennis program. And today, the Rebels will try to make their season even better.
After clinching a school-record 20th win in the Elite 8 of the Class AA state playoffs Thursday with a 3-1 win over state-power Bleckley County, the Berrien girls will make the schools’ third all-time appearance in the Final Four when they host Westminster today at 3 p.m. in Nashville. -
VSU softball wins record fifth straight GSC championship
Valdosta State’s softball team claimed a record fifth straight Gulf south Conference tournament championship Sunday evening, erasing a 3-run deficit to beat archrival Alabama-Huntsville 4-3 in the championship game in Southaven, Miss.
The Blazers (41-10) became the first school in GSC-history to win five straight championships, a half-decade of dominance throughout the double-elimination tournament. -
Blazers erase 4-run deficit, knock off DSU in 10th
Valdosta State scored six unearned runs, including two in the bottom of the 10th inning, to defeat No. 2 Delta State 6-5 in the second day of play at the Taziki's Gulf South Conference Tournament Friday evening.
With the win, Valdosta State has now won 23 of its last 27 games and will face West Alabama in the winner’s bracket of the GSC tournament today at 1 p.m. The winner will advance to the GSC championship series. -
VSU’s Albritton named GSC Player of Year
Courtney Albritton terrorized the Gulf South Conference as a freshman in 2012. She did it again in 2013.
The sophomore from Sycamore was named the Gulf South Conference Player of the Year Wednesday, an honor that was bestowed upon her as a freshman for the Valdosta State softball team last year. - More Top Sports News Headlines
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