PENSACOLA, Fla. –– The No. 17 Valdosta State softball team held a 3-1 lead through four innings, but two runs in the fifth and one in the sixth gave No. 2-ranked West Florida a 4-3 win to eliminate the Blazers from the NCAA South Regional.

The Blazers finished the season at 36-18 and have only one senior on the team in Kasie Johnson who had an outstanding career in the circle for the Blazers.

In the top of the first, a pair of singles from UWF began the frame and then a sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third. Jacquelynne Poling reached on a fielder’s choice as the Blazers gunned down the lead runner at home. With two out and a 2-2 count, Poling scored on a passed ball for a 1-0 Argo lead. Blazer junior Jordenne Gaten singled to shortstop and then stole second in the bottom of the first. A walk to junior Logan Hill followed and then junior Lacey Crandall doubled down the right field line for a 1-1 score and junior Taylor Strickland scored a run for a 2-1 lead. Redshirt freshman Kiley Robb doubled down the right field line for an RBI and a 3-1 lead.

VSU left two on base in the bottom of the fourth and, with one out in the top of the fifth and an Argo at first, Mika Garcia tripled home a run for a 3-2 score as the UWF crowd began to come alive for the first time since the first inning. A ground out to shortstop tied the game at three as Rhiannon Sassman plated Garcia. UWF’s Kathleen Smiley began the top of the sixth with a solo home run to left center on a 1-1 count for a 4-3 Argo lead. With two out, an error on the Blazers prolonged the inning and a hard hit to third base put runners at the corners for the Argos. VSU sophomore hurler Caylie Van Auken got a ground out to end the threat. In the bottom of the seventh, junior Haley Garrett singled to center putting the tying run on base with one out. A fielder’s choice out followed and UWF reliever Kelsey Sweatt got a fly out to right to end the game.

Van Auken (17-7) took the loss in a complete game effort, allowing eight hits, four runs – three earned, walked one and fanned one, while Sweatt (19-3) earned the win in relief of starter Grace Gilbert. Sweatt held the Blazers to just three hits over the final three innings, after VSU tallied five hits and three earned runs on Gilbert.

Robb went 3 for 3 for the game with a RBI, while Gaten was 2 for 4 with a run scored. Teala Howard was 2 for 4 with a run scored for the Argos and Gilbert was 2 for 2 with a run scored, while Garcia had the home run on a 2 for 3 outing with a run scored and a RBI.