On a day when the Valdosta State softball team honored its eight seniors, the top-ranked Blazers crushed Christian Brothers University 9-0 in game one of a scheduled doubleheader, before heavy rain forced the cancellation of the second game.

“You just want those seniors to come through in their last home games,” Valdosta State head coach Thomas Macera said. “I am just real proud of the way they played and going out the way they could.”

With the win, the Blazers improved to 42-2 on the season, and extended their current winning streak to 36 games.

VSU is set to face Delta State in the final two regular season games of the season today at 1 p.m. Rain is forecasted for much of the morning, but is expected to subside by the afternoon hours, making the possibility of today’s games being played very high.

Valdosta State accounted for nine hits to manage the nine runs to win in a shortened five-inning game. The Blazers accounted for two runs in the first, second and fourth innings, before adding three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Along with plenty of offense, pitcher Alanna Hadley was phenomenal. The senior right-hander recorded her league-leading 10th shutout of the year, holding Christian Brothers to just one hit in the five innings. Hadley was perfect until surrendering a single to leadoff the fifth inning.

“I am not worried about a perfect game or anything like that,” Macera said. “The rule is no home runs and no walks, and she didn’t have either, so she did her job.”

Morgan Johnson was stellar at the plate, going 3 for 3 with four runs batted in and two runs scored, including a fourth inning home run.

“I usually don’t play as well at home as I do away,” Johnson said. “Today, my only goal was to play for the seniors and let them have a good day. That was my main focus.”

“Morgan is leading most of the categories in the Gulf South Conference,” Macera said. “She is a machine. She is hitting the ball well and always comes up big when you are looking for it.”

Clare Wamsley was 2 for 3 with three RBI and a run scored; the senior right fielder drove in the final three runs of the day for VSU on a bases clearing double.

Johnson scored the Blazers’ first run of the game, scoring on a CBU error, which allowed Marti Littlfield to reach base, and that the opening inning alive. Then Natalia Morozova drove in Littlefield with a single.

In the second inning, Clare Wamsley and April Hutchens both scored on a two-run double to right center field by Johnson.

Two innings later, Johnson connected on a two-run home run to straight away center field to score her and Hutchens and give the Blazers a 6-0 lead.

VSU’s scoring was capped in the sixth inning when Wamsley connected on her double to score Morozova, Sarah Vaughn and Colette Rollins.

“It was awesome, it felt so great,” Wamsley said of her double. “It was an outside pitch, I took it to the light poll, where Coach tells us every single game to drive an outside pitch, so it felt so good. Today, I feel so good and I am in good spirits.”

Morozova started the inning by reaching base on an error, which was followed by an Ashley Steinhilber double and Colette Rollins reaching base on a fielder’s choice, which allowed every Blazer runner to reach base.