Shane Thomas | The Valdosta Daily TimesValdosta State third baseman Natalia Bellinger (7) reacts after scoring a game-tying run in the seventh inning of Game 1 against West Georgia Saturday at Steel’s Diamond at Blazer Park.

VALDOSTA –– The No. 15 Valdosta State softball team started fast en route to a 4-1 win over West Georgia in the 2019 regular season finale Sunday. VSU finished the regular season with a 33-14 record and a 14-12 mark in Gulf South Conference play, while UWG finished at 28-26 and 14-16 in league play.

The Blazers will be the No. 4-seed in the upcoming Gulf South Conference Championship, May 2-5 at regular season champion West Florida. Check back with vstateblazers.com for the latest information on the GSC Championship as it becomes available.

VSU junior hurler Avery Lamb made her third start of the season and tossed her second complete game as she improved to 2-1 on the year surrendering four hits, one unearned run, walked one and fanned two in the win.

The Blazers were led by a 3 for 3 outing from junior Natalia Bellinger as she tallied two RBI and a double. She was the only Blazer with multiple hits in the game as the team tallied four runs on six hits with one error. UWG had one run on four hits with two errors as four different UWG players had hits in the contest. Lamb kept the Wolves in the park Sunday as no UWG player had a home run after the Wolves blasted six home runs in a doubleheader sweep of the Blazers Saturday.

Lamb worked out of a jam in the first as Hanna Scarbrough doubled and moved to third on a passed ball, but Lamb got a fly out to end the inning. In the bottom of the frame, Bellinger plated two runs and assisted by a throwing error for a 2-0 lead after junior Taylor Strickland was plunked by a pitch with the bases loaded for a 3-0 lead.

UWG put two on in the third and scored its lone run of the game in the fourth courtesy of the VSU miscue for a 3-1 score. VSU redshirt freshman Kiley Robb began the bottom of the sixth with a solo home run to left, her 12th round-tripper of the season to lead the team for a 4-1 score. UWG went down in order in the seventh.

For the Wolves, who will be the No. 6-seed in the GSC Championship, starting pitcher Raya Moncus took the loss as she lasted just 0.2 innings, allowing three runs – two earned, walked two and fanned one.