A double steal by Ryan Romano and Dennis Pierce gets even better results than the Blazers planned. A wild throw to third allowed Romano to get up and trot home, with Pierce sliding in safely at third.

TIFTON — The Valdosta State Blazer baseball team won 15-3 versus the Georgia College and State University Bobcats on Tuesday afternoon in a neutral site game at Abraham Baldwin Agriculture College. Valdosta State improved to 17-12 while Georgia College dropped to 20-13.

VSU tallied 20 hits as six Blazers had two or more hits. Senior Ryan Romano led the charge as he went 5-5 with two doubles, three runs scored, and two driven in.

On the mound, junior Jude Ard went 4.1 innings and allowed two runs on 74 pitches while striking out three. Junior Ryan Brown earned his first win of the season as he came in with a bases loaded jam and struck out two Bobcats in the top of the fifth.

After a perfect top half of the first inning from Ard, a one out single from Romano had a runner on for sophomore Dennis Pierce, who was hit by the pitch to put two on and one out. A double steal from Romano and Pierce and an errant throw from the Bobcat pitcher brought home Romano to make it 1-0 early. A wild pitch from the pitcher brough thome Pierce as it was 2-0 after one.

Sophomore DJ Banks kept things going in the bottom of the second as the third baseman smoked his first home run of the year over the left field fence to bring home senior David Crawford and double the score to make it 4-0.

As Ard continued to dominate, so did the Blazers. Things kept rolling for the offense. Base hit after base hit had runner at first and second for Daniel Kerrigan, who poked a ball through the right side on a hit and run and brought home Crawford to grow the lead to five. A two-out RBI double from Romano made it 7-0 Blazers through three.

After a leadoff walk in the top of the fourth, Ard forced a lineout and struck out two straight to leave a runner stranded through three and a half innings. In the bottom of the fourth, the first two runners reached and advanced to second and third via wild pitch. Graduate student Owen Lawn grounded a ball up the middle off the second baseman’s glove to bring home junior Jovanni Canegitta as it was 9-0 through four.

GCSU stole back two runs in the top of the fifth on three hits as they left the bases loaded thanks to Ryan Brown fanning two Bobcats fresh out of the bullpen. VSU stole those two runs right back in the bottom half, as Lawn legged out a fielder’s choice to bring home Romano before a beautifully executed double steal allowed Pierce to steal home and make it 11-2 through five.

Brown retired Georgia College in order in the top half of the sixth and two quick outs in the bottom half had no one on and two outs for junior Pedro Moreno. A six pitch at-bat resulted in a double down the left field line to start the two-out rally, as Romano and Pierce followed suit with two double of their own, as the Blazers were pouring it on. Four runs would cross home plate in the bottom of the sixth with two down as it was 15-2.

The Bobcats scored a run in the top of the seventh but a 5-3 double play by Romano to Pierce finished off Georgia College as Valdosta State dominated, winning 15-3.

Up next, Valdosta State will hit the road to Clinton, Mississippi, to face the Mississippi College Choctaws in a GSC weekend matchup.