VALDOSTA — Valdosta State softball head coach Thomas Macera reached his 1,000th career win against Saint Leo on Wednesday afternoon as the Blazers split a non-conference doubleheader with the Lions.

In over 20 years of coaching, Macera currently sits at 1,000-123-2 in his career while he is 794-250-2 in 19 seasons with VSU. The Blazers earned Macera’s 1,000th win in a gritty 7-6 walk-off victory in game one while they dropped the second game in heart-breaking fashion, 12-11.

Following the split, Valdosta State now sits at 23-18 overall while Saint Leo holds a 31-14 record.

GAME 1: Valdosta State 9, Saint Leo 7 (8 Innings)

The Blazers went to work quickly in the bottom of the first as junior Brandie Seber and senior Morgan Hill tallied back-to-back singles to lead off the frame. Junior Carly Bogart then took a walk to load the bases before senior Aniston Gano scored the first RBI of the game on a sacrifice fly to put VSU in business, 1-0. The Blazers ended up adding another run, benefiting off of a wild pitch to increase their lead to two by the end of the inning, 2-0.

Saint Leo struck back in the top of the second, cashing in three runs on three hits and a Blazer throwing error to take the lead, 3-2. However, Valdosta State ended up tying the game up on catcher’s interference in the bottom of the second, 3-3.

The Lions answered back in the top of the third, racking up three more runs on three hits including a hard-hit double to take a three-run lead, 6-3. In the top of the fourth inning, the Blazer defense pulled off an incredible defensive play, turning three for the coveted triple play to get out of the frame in a flash.

The VSU offense started to chip away in the bottom of the fourth as sophomore Saylor McNearney crushed her eighth home run of the year on a solo shot to cut into the SLU lead, 6-4.

The Blazer offense started clicking once again in the bottom of the fifth as junior Abby Sulte slapped a single to the fence to kick off the frame. Bogart then stepped up to the plate and smashed her 11th home run of the season on a two-run blast to knot the game up at 6-6. Later in the inning, the Blazers ended up plating the go-ahead run on a throw that was a tick late to home plate as Valdosta State led 7-6.

Saint Leo ended up scoring the tying run in the top of the sixth as a SLU triple was cashed in by a wild pitch, 7-7. The game remained tied up at 7-7 heading into the bottom of the seventh as the Blazers managed to get two runners in scoring position. Unfortunately for VSU, the Blazers were unable to drive in any runs as the game went into extra innings.

Junior pitcher Madison Lumpp and the VSU defense were able to batten down the hatches in the top of the eighth for a three-up, three-down inning as it was the Blazers’ chance to strike. With one out, Bogart sliced a double down the left field line to put a runner in scoring position. Like clockwork, senior Aniston Gano crushed her 15th homer of the season on a two-run home run to walk the game off and give Valdosta State the hard-fought 9-7 victory.

Junior Savannah Barfield got the start in the circle for VSU, going 2.1 innings while giving up six runs (four earned) on five hits. She struck out two and walked four batters. Junior Madison Lumpp (6-4) ended up coming in to pick up the win, going 5.2 innings while giving up just one run on seven hits. She fanned one batter and walked two.

The Blazers had an impressive showing at the plate, blasting five extra-base hits in the contest including two doubles and three home runs. Gano led the charge with her game-winning walk off homer, tallying one hit for one run and three RBI with a two-run home run and a sacrifice fly to earn Guardian Bank Player of the Game.

GAME 2: Saint Leo 12, Valdosta State 11

The second matchup of the afternoon got off to a quick start as the hero of game one, Gano, blasted a two-run homer in the bottom of the second to give the Blazers an early 2-0 lead. Later in the same inning, McNearney and sophomore Jayme Prandine cracked back-to-back singles before sophomore Jasmin Stewart cranked her sixth home run of the season on a three-run bomb to build the VSU lead to 5-0.

Saint Leo answered back, tallying a run on a sacrifice fly in the top of the third to cut into the Valdosta State lead, 5-1. The Blazers returned the favor in the bottom of the third, scoring on a sacrifice fly of their own courtesy of Stewart, 6-2.

The Lions battled back, striking for three runs on four hits in the top of the fourth to bring the game within two, 6-4. However, VSU put a little bit of distance between itself and SLU as Gano cracked an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth to put the Blazers up by three, 7-4.

Saint Leo continued to fight, striking back in a big way as a two-run homer pulled the Lions within one of the Blazer lead in the top of the fifth, 7-6. The Blazers continued to answer the call as Prandine took a walk before Stewart ripped her second home run of the game on a two-run shot to right field, putting VSU back up by three in the bottom of the fifth, 9-6.

Valdosta State looked to add to its lead in the bottom of the sixth, loading the bases on a flurry of hits and walks. Prandine ended up cashing a run in on an RBI single to put the Blazers up by four heading into the seventh inning, 10-6.

The Lions remained unfazed by the Blazer lead, putting together an incredible inning tallying eight hits for six runs to snatch the lead, 12-10. The Blazers tried to fight back in the bottom of the frame as Sulte crushed her 24th home run of the season on a solo shot to cut the deficit to one run, 12-11. Unfortunately the damage had been done as Valdosta State ended up dropping the second game of the doubleheader to Saint Leo, 12-11.

Freshman Toree Wofford nearly went the distance in the circle for the Blazers, going six innings while giving up seven runs (six earned) on eight hits. She tallied two punch outs and walked two batters. Barfield (4-2) was credited with the loss after giving up four runs on three hits in the seventh.

Valdosta State was led at the plate by Stewart who had a fantastic showing at the dish in the nightcap. She racked up a team-high six RBI on two hits for two runs with two home runs in the game to earn Guardian Bank Player of the Game honors.

The Blazers will return to action at Steel’s Diamond this weekend when they host the Lady Statesmen of Delta State for a three-game conference clash. Action kicks off on Saturday with a doubleheader set to begin at 1 p.m. For more information on Valdosta State softball, visit vstateblazers.com and head to the softball schedule page.