In their first game since Feb. 15, the Valdosta State baseball team fell to the Florida Southern Mocs 5-4 Saturday night at Billy Grant Field.

The Blazers carried a 4-0 lead heading into the top of the eighth inning, but gave way to the Mocs, who scored all five of their runs to record the victory. The Mocs used a walk, an error, three straight singles and another Blazer error to knot the game even at 4-4.

VSU relief pitcher Benjamin Weil, who took the loss on the hill, was then replaced by Steven Groves, who recorded three fly outs to get out of the inning, but not before allowing the go-ahead run to the Mocs on a wild pitch.

“I don’t think there is really anything positive you can say, except for Kevin Rogers pitched good,” Valdosta State head coach Greg Guilliams said. “But, you have to learn from your mistakes, and we will talk about it. … Good teams close games out, and if we ever want to consider ourselves a good ball club, then that is one of the things we are going to have to do.”

The Blazers had no response to the Mocs’ big inning. Florida Southern relief pitcher Nate Carter shut down the Blazers in the eighth and ninth innings.

Valdosta State starting pitcher Kevin Rogers received a no decision in the loss. The senior left-hander from San Diego was dominant, allowing no runs on one hit, while striking out seven batters on the night. Rogers was pulled after 92 pitches through seven innings of work.

“It is still early in the year, and I told Kevin, ‘When you get close to that 100-pitch mark, that would probably be it,’” Guilliams said. “It just so happened that is when it happened.”

“It is frustrating, but that is baseball,” Rogers said about earning the no decision. “You get one solid outing and you just have to move on to the next one, no matter what happens.”

Rogers was electric to start the game. He didn’t allow a hit until the top of the fifth inning, when Florida Southern’s Austin Chubb recorded a single. Chubb’s hit started a tough fifth inning for Rogers, who surrendered a walk on the following at-bat. Then Rogers recorded back-to-back outs, although the two runners advanced to second and third. Rogers then walked Brad Carlton, but used a commanding strikeout to get out of the bases loaded jam.

“I just felt really good and really confident,” Rogers said. “My defense was playing well for me, and just some stuff happened in the fifth, but I got through that. I am pretty proud of myself.”

Rogers went unscathed through the first four innings, as Florida Southern managed just one base runner in the bottom of the third inning after Rogers issued a walk. The Blazers turned a 6-4-3 double play on the following at-bat to end the inning. Following the fifth inning, Rogers was back on track in the sixth and seventh innings, allowing just one walk in the sixth.

The Blazers jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning, capitalizing on a Florida Southern error and three straight doubles to record the runs. Leadoff batter Chad Grant reached base on a throwing error by FSC shortstop Kyle Gibbs. After a sacrifice moved Grant to second base, Bryant Hayman banged a double off the left field wall, scoring Grant and giving the Blazers a 1-0 lead.

The next batter, Buster Jackson, pounded a doubled into right center field, scoring Hayman in the process and giving the Blazers a 2-0 lead. The Blazers weren’t done, as shortstop Zachary Rios managed the third straight double to score Jackson from second, which gave VSU a 3-0 lead.

Valdosta State added to its lead in the fourth inning, as Jackson scored from third base on a Ryan Noelte sacrifice fly to left field. The run gave the Blazers a 4-0 lead.

VSU had opportunities for more runs in the game, but left seven runners stranded. The Blazers started the bottom of the first inning off with back-to-back singles from Noelte and Marc Overstreet, but a base running error by Noelte, a pop out to shortstop by Christian Glisson and a 10-pitch strike out by Cameron Graves ended the inning.

In the third inning, the Blazers left Grant stranded at second after he reached base with two-out double into the left field corner. The Blazers also left runners stranded in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.

“I am sure it had something to do with how they were pitching us,” Guilliams said. “But, I don’t know. We have done that several times this year, where we come out and score several runs early and just not be able to add on. I can’t say for sure that I know the reason, except we have to do a little bit better job of executing, especially with runners in scoring position.”

VSU will face No. 1-ranked Tampa today at 6 p.m.