Valdosta State’s baseball team overcame a slow start to defeat Georgia College and State 4-2 on Tuesday night at Billy Grant Field.

With the win, Valdosta State improved to 22-14, while GCSU fell to 23-16.

Georgia College and State pitcher Matt Kaplan shut out Valdosta State for 5 2/3 innings. But the Blazers finally broke through in the bottom of the sixth, scoring three runs and taking a lead they would not relinquish.

With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, Kaplan hit Christian Glisson and Cameron Graves with pitches. Bryant Hayman followed with a double to right center, scoring Glisson. When Georgia College’s Bryce Williams bobbled the ball in right, Graves raced home to tie the score at 2-2.

Cooper Lemonds followed with a single to left, and Hayman tried to score. It appeared that Hayman would be thrown out at the plate, but Bobcat catcher Benton Yaun dropped the ball, and Hayman slid across home plate to give VSU a 3-2 advantage.

The Blazers added a run in the eighth inning. Glisson singled to open the eighth. Buster Jackson pinch ran for Glisson, stole second and came around to score when Hayman hit a one-out single through the right side of the infield, giving VSU a 4-2 lead.

The game was scoreless for the first three innings. Georgia College loaded the bases in the top of the first, thanks to two walks and a hit, but was unable to plate a run. Valdosta State had a runner thrown out at the plate while trying to score on a pitch in the dirt.

The Bobcats took the lead in the fourth inning, scoring a pair of runs. With one out, Williams singled to right and moved to third when Yaun singled up the middle. Josh Young followed with a double down the left field line to score Williams.

Yaun scored when Patrick Daugherty reached on an infield single with two outs, giving GCSU a 2-0 lead.

GCSU had a chance to add to its lead, but left the bases loaded in both the fourth and the fifth. Then VSU took the lead in the sixth, and held it the rest of the game.

Benjamin Weil earned the win for the Blazers. Weil pitched 5.2 innings in relief, allowed five hits and no runs and struck out four to improve to 5-3 this season.

Kaplan allowed six hits and three runs, two earned, in 5.2 innings to fall to 0-2 on the year.

Hayman was 2 for 4 with two runs driven in to lead the Blazers offensively. Glisson, Lemonds and Ryan Noelte also finished with two hits.

Valdosta State returns to action on Saturday, when it travels to Livingston, Ala. for a three-game Gulf South Conference series against West Alabama. The two teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game on Sunday.