VALDOSTA – The No. 11 Valdosta State softball team defeated West Georgia in the series finale of the three-game Red Clay Rivalry matchup, 10-4, giving VSU its fourth Gulf South Conference series victory and second GSC series sweep.

With the weekend sweep, the Blazers improved to 19-4 overall and 10-2 in conference play while the Wolves fell to 4-19 overall and 2-10 in league play.

The Wolves struck first in the top of the second behind a walk and a home run to take an early 2-0 lead. However, the Blazers answered right back in the bottom of the second behind junior Taylor Macera slapping a single to right center to get the Valdosta State bats going. A UWG wild pitch, a ground out and a Blazer walk advanced Macera to third as junior Morgan Hill cracked a base hit to send Macera home, cutting the West Georgia lead to 2-1. With two Blazers in scoring position, freshman Jayme Prandine singled to left center to score two, giving the Blazers the lead, 3-2.

West Georgia came right back out in the top of the third, launching a solo home run to tie the game up at 3-3. In familiar fashion, the Blazers struck back in the bottom of the third with back to back homers from Macera and freshman Jasmin Stewart as VSU took the lead once again, 5-3.

UWG tacked on another run in the top of the fourth behind a bases loaded walk, cutting the Blazer lead to one, 5-4. In the bottom of the fourth, sophomore Abby Sulte smashed a solo shot to kick off the inning and give Valdosta State a 6-4 edge.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Blazers loaded the bases behind a single from Hill, a couple of Blazer stolen bases and a pair of walks to set up Macera’s towering grand slam home run, giving the Blazers a 10-4 cushion. Macera’s Grand Slam was the first for the Blazers this season. The Blazer defense held on in the top of the seventh to take the 10-4 victory and complete the series sweep.

Senior Samantha Richards was in the circle for the Blazers, recording her 15th win and 14th complete game of the season. In her second start of the weekend, she fanned five, walked four and allowed four runs on seven hits. At the dish for the Blazers, Macera recorded three hits on four plate appearances for 5 RBI and three runs including a solo home run and a grand slam to earn Guardian Bank Player of the Game honors.

Game 2: No. 11 Valdosta State 10, West Georgia 2 (6 Innings)

The Blazers got off to a hot start in the second game of the afternoon, striking first almost immediately. In the bottom of the first, a Blazer walk set up a booming two-run shot to center by senior Taylor Lewis, giving the Blazers the early 2-0 lead. The trend continued in the bottom of the second as a double by Macera and a Blazer walk led to Stewart crushing her fourth homer of the week to score three-more, adding to the Blazer lead 5-0.

In the top of the fourth, West Georgia tacked on a run behind a pair of singles, cutting the Blazer lead to four, 5-1. The Wolves then added another run in the top of the fifth behind a one-out walk and a couple of base hits as VSU still led, 5-2.

In the bottom of the fifth, The Blazers answered back with a pair of runs of their own. To kick off the inning, sophomore Abby Sulte walked which set up Macera’s second double of the game to score Sulte. However, in the same play, a pair of UWG miscues allowed Macera to make a dash for home, giving Valdosta State a 7-2 cushion.

The Blazers chipped in a few more in the bottom of the sixth as a single from Stewart and a pair of Blazer walks allowed for a bases-loaded walk, making the game 8-2. Immediately following the bases-loaded walk, a West Georgia wild pitch allowed two Blazers to make it home safely, giving Valdosta State the 10-2 victory in six innings behind the eight-run rule.

In the second game, the Blazers had two pitchers in the circle as sophomore Madison Lumpp was credited with her second win of the season. Lumpp and junior pitcher Taylor Barrett combined for four strikeouts, one walk and two runs on six hits. At the dish for the Blazers, Stewart cracked two hits in three plate appearances, recording a three-run home run, two runs and three RBI to earn Guardian Bank Player of the Game honors.

Game 1: No. 11 Valdosta State 1, West Georgia 0

VSU struck first in the bottom of the second as junior Taylor Macera walked and advanced on a wild pitch, making it to third base. Freshman Jasmin Steward then blasted a double to the fence to send Macera home and give the Blazers a 1-0 lead. From there, both defenses battened down the hatches to hold the score at 1-0 for the remainder of the game as VSU gained its 17th overall victory of the season and its eighth Gulf South Conference win.

Senior Samantha Richards was in the circle for the Blazers, recording her fourth shutout, 13th complete game and 14th win of the season. Over the course of six innings, she fanned 10 batters, tallied no walks and allowed four hits to earn Guardian Bank Player of the Game honors.

UP NEXT

The Blazers will hit the road this week as they head to Florida Tech to take on the Panthers in a two-game doubleheader on Wednesday with action beginning at 4 p.m.