VALDOSTA — Facing the No. 2 team in the country, you can’t make many mistakes and expect to win.

Valdosta State made some mistakes Wednesday. And they lost.

Georgia College and State (25-4), the No. 2 baseball team in Division II, defeated Valdosta State 7-3 Wednesday at Billy Grant Field.

“We threw it away,” an unhappy Valdosta State head coach Tommy Thomas said. “We had a chance to beat the No. 2 team in Division II, and we threw it away. We made too many mistakes, and you can’t do that against the No. 2 team in the country.

“I am very disappointed. I wouldn’t be so disappointed if I didn’t think we could win. But I did think we could win. We just didn’t get it done tonight.”

Luke Taylor, a former Lowndes High pitcher and Boston Red Sox draft choice, took a no-hitter into the fifth, but GCSU scored three runs off of him in the fifth and two more in the sixth, and those runs were enough for a Bobcats victory.

The fifth inning started with the game tied 0-0. The first batter of the fifth, Tripp Burt, broke up the no-hitter by lining a double past the glove of VSU third baseman Scott Brooker. Then Hans Stancil sacrificed Burt to second, and was safe when the second baseman caught the throw off the bag. Brandon Anderson followed with a double into the left field corner, and Burt and Stancil raced around to score. Justin Mills sacrificed Anderson to third. Taylor came back to strike out Casey Cullen, but cleanup hitter Mike DeVeaux lined a single up the middle, and Anderson crossed the plate to make it 3-0 Bobcats.

Things got worse for the Blazers in the top of the sixth. Kyle Schisler singled and Burt was hit by a pitch to start the inning, then Stancil was safe at first after a bad throw by Taylor, loading the bases. Anderson followed with a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Schisler. Mills then hit a chopper back to the mound that Taylor threw over Hill’s head at first. Burt scored, making it 5-0. That finished Taylor’s day. Chris Davison came in from the bullpen, and struck out the next two batters to get out of the jam.

“Luke Taylor pitched well. He didn’t field well, but he pitched well,” Thomas said. “Chris Davison and Marc Robinson also threw well. We just didn’t have a good day in other areas.”

After having chances earlier in the game, the Blazers finally rallied in the bottom of the eighth, scoring three runs. VSU loaded the bases on a Scott Brooker double to right, a hit-by-pitch, and a Justin Hill single. Then Goff hit a high chopper to short, scoring Brooker. Richard Flores followed with a sacrifice fly to center, bringing home Chris Harris. Copeland followed with an RBI single to right, scoring Hill and making it 5-3.

But the Bobcats got a couple of insurance runs in the top of the ninth. A single and a hit-by-pitch put two men on, then pitcher Jayson Bennett, in his first at-bat of the season, lined a double into right center, scoring DeVeaux and Rich Janofsky, making it 7-3.

The Blazers had the opportunity to draw first blood in the bottom of the second, loading the bases. But GCSU pitcher Wes Sorrells got Alberto Castellon to ground out to third. In the fourth, the Blazers later put a runner on third with two outs again, but Sorrells struck out Nick Phillips to end the inning.

Georgia College and State’s leading hitters were Anderson (1-for-4, one run, three RBI) and DeVeaux (2-for-5, run, RBI). Sorrells (2-0), who now has a 0.54 ERA, allowed three hits in five innings, striking out two. Bennett earned his sixth save.

For VSU, Copeland was 3-for-4 with an RBI, while Goff was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Taylor (1-1) took the loss, surrendering five runs, two earned, in 5.1 innings, striking out four. Davison pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, then gave way to Robinson and John Sirmon.

Valdosta State returns to Billy Grant Field today, playing Albany State at 4 p.m.

“I’m disappointed, but we’re going to come back (Thursday), and try to do it better,” Thomas said.