greg.mcilvain@gaflnews.com



VALDOSTA — There’s that intrigue of baseball strategy, as two veteran Division II baseball coaches battle it out in a tight game.

Then’s there’s a life philosophy — stuff happens.

And it happened for the Valdosta State University baseball team before 314 Saturday at Billy Grant Field. The Blazers swept the doubleheader over Eckerd, winning game one 3-2 and game two 7-1.

The two schools complete the three-game series with a single nine-inning game at 2 p.m. today.

“We’re fortunate to win two games with the way we hit today,” said VSU head coach Tommy Thomas after his 1,169th career win, now 30 short of a new Division II record. “I know (Eckerd coach Billy) Mathews is not happy with all his team gave us. It helped us quite a bit.

“Sometimes you have to rely on plain luck.”

The Blazers finished the day with 17 hits, but left nine runners on base in the first game and another five in the second game.

VSU (5-1) won the first game when Josh Grube raced home on a two-out wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh. Grube was also heavily involved in the Blazers’ seven-run sixth which turned around a close game.

“We’ve got to do whatever it takes to win,” said Grube, a senior middle infielder who finished the day 6-for-8. “The bats weren’t there early, but they came alive late.”

In the nightcap, Eckerd’s Jason Wishin (0-2) had silenced the Blazers on four hits for five innings. Only one Blazer had safely reached second base.

But VSU sent 12 players to the plate in the sixth, turning around a 1-0 Eckerd lead.

Pinch-hitter Joey Nijem opened the inning with a walk. Pinch-runner Micah Smith stole second, and moved to third on Grube’s bunt single.

On the play, Grube moved to second when the Tritons didn’t cover the base.

“Coach (Ryan) Page teaches that every day in practice. Eyes up is what we call it,” Grube said. “If they’re not going to cover the bag, we’re going to take it.”

That would be big. Smith came home on another wild pitch, with Grube going to third. After one out, Greg Connell singled under the drawn-in infield to score Grube with the go-ahead run.

Without Grube taking second earlier, Eckerd would not have had to moved up its infielders against Connell, VSU’s top RBI man (now nine in six games).

From there it only got worse for the visitors. Sammy Watson’s double put runners at second and third. David Lewis was intentionally walked to load the bases, and Eckerd got the second out with a short fly ball.

But Triton pitchers hit the next two batters — Jake Cosper and Jay Berryman — to force in runs and make it 4-1.

Smith’s infield single scored Lewis, and Grube finished his big day with a two-RBI double to right.

In the first game, the Blazers overcame an early 2-0 deficit. It scored single runs in the second (Scott Fletcher’s RBI single scored Connell, who had doubled) and third (Grube singled, went to third on a wild pickoff throw and scored on a two-out infield error).

After stranding runners in scoring position in the fifth and sixth, Grube scored the game winner. After his infield single, he advanced on two infield groundouts and, after a walk, raced home on Eckerd reliever Ted Fletcher’s wild pitch.

“Coach (Shannon) Jernigan told me to be ready for a wild pitch or anything in the dirt,” Grube said. “We’ll take a win anyway we can get it.”

A half-inning before, Berryman’s grab of Josh Beauregard’s grounder to third and Scott Simpson’s save of Berryman’s throw saved a run. Pinch-hitter Brandon Soule had tripled with two outs a batter earlier. It was the only Eckerd batter to get past first base after the two-run second off VSU starter Adam Lingenfelter (2-0).

Both Blazer starters had big outings Saturday. Lingenfelter got the complete-game win, striking out six while allowing six hits and a walk.

In the second game, Davey Covey (1-0) pitched his first game of the season. He also struck out six, giving up three walks and four hits.

Eckerd’s lone run came in the first on Beauregard’s leadoff single, stolen base and Chris Brooks’ two-out RBI sin





gle. Beauregard also doubled in the fifth, but was stranded.