VALDOSTA –– Despite having two of their best in the circle, No. 15 Valdosta State softball couldn’t stop the power of the West Georgia Wolves.

The Wolves never trailed and they launched six home runs in two games against the Blazers to secure a doubleheader sweep on Saturday.

VSU head coach Thomas Macera credited the Wolves’ power combined with off days from pitchers Kasie Johnson and Caylie Van Auken for doing his Blazers in.

“We lost the game on six home runs,” Macera said flatly. “Every run they scored was on a home run. When you give up six home runs, you can’t win like that. Six home runs in two games and we normally don’t pitch that bad. We just didn’t do a good job pitching today. They’ve hit 28 home runs all year and we gave up six to them. You take your hat off to West Georgia –– We laid it in there and they hit it over the fence.”

GAME 2

West Georgia 3, Valdosta State 2

The Wolves opened the scoring in the top of the third inning on a home run blast to right field by Hannah Scarbrough to take a 1-0 lead. The Blazers were able to use some power of their own to keep pace as reserve short stop Carly Joiner smashed her first home run of the season to tie the game at a run apiece in the bottom of the third.

An error by the Blazers allowed Madison Chambers to score to put the Wolves ahead 2-1.

In the bottom of the fifth, Joiner continued to spark the Blazers with an RBI single that brought in Kiley Robb to tie the score at 2.

“(Joiner) did a great job,” Macera said of Joiner’s home run. “I kept telling them the whole game they’ve been throwing in at us, starting us off with an in pitch and she finally was somebody that took advantage of it. They threw in on her and she turned on it and she hit it really well. I just wish we would have taken more opportunities to do that. … We just didn’t make those adjustments, but she did and she got every bit of it so, good for her.”

As the game moved to the six inning, both teams remained deadlocked until Wolves’ designated player Allie Parkerson delivered another long ball to break the tie, 3-2 in the top of the sixth.

The Blazers looked poised to find momentum as Haley Garrett led off the bottom of the sixth with a double followed by a single up the middle by Fallyn Johnson to put two on base. A sacrifice bunt by first baseman Logan Hill moved Garrett and Johnson to second and third, but the Blazers failed to capitalize as Lacey Crandall grounded out and Robb lined out to end the inning.

Wolves pitcher Morgan Goree slammed the door on the Blazers with flair in the bottom of the seventh. Following a single by Natalia Bellinger, Joiner came to the plate looking to produce more magic, but instead lined a hard hit ball right into the glove of Goree, who flipped the ball to first baseman Lexi Close to tag up Bellinger at first for a game-ending double play.

Goree pitched a complete game for the Wolves, striking out five with a walk. Goree gave up six hits and two runs in the victory. For the Blazers, Van Auken (14-5) picked up the loss after going 5 1/3 innings and allowing four hits with two earned runs. Van Auken struck out four batters, but walked two others in the game.

GAME 1

Though the Blazers battled back to tie the game late, the Wolves’ power-hitting set the tone in a 7-5 victory in an eight-inning opener.

A solo shot by Scarbrough put the Wolves ahead 5-4 in the top of the seventh. However, the Blazers mounted a comeback behind the work of Bellinger.

Bellinger led off the bottom of the seventh with a base hit. Following a base hit by Garrett, Bellinger advanced to third to represent the tying run. A sacrifice fly RBI by Fallyn Johnson scored Bellinger to tie the game at 5. Logan Hill followed up Johnson’s RBI with a double, but Crandall flew out to end the inning.

Following a single by outfielder Peyton Stallworth, Chambers came to the plate and provided the dagger. Chambers belted a two-run home run off VSU starter Kasie Johnson to put the Wolves ahead 7-5.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Wolves closed the game out behind Goree in the circle. Goree struck out Robb swinging, then got Taylor Strickland to fly out before striking out Ashley Biddle to end the game.

Despite it being her Senior Day on Saturday, Johnson (14-5) struggled in the circle for the Blazers. Johnson lasted 7 1/3 innings, allowing seven hits and seven earned runs with five strikeouts and two walks.

“We hadn’t given up six home runs in a weekend all year,” Macera said of his team’s pitching woes on Saturday. “We gave up hit six bombs today. That’s unbelievable. As good as we hit, we haven’t hit six home runs in a weekend. I told them, ‘You get knocked down 19 times, what do you do on the 20th? You’ve got to get up and keep going.’ We’ve just got to come out with a good attitude (today), work harder and see what else happens.”

UP NEXT

The Blazers look to avoid a three-game sweep at the hands of the Wolves today at 1 p.m.