VALDOSTA – Valdosta State won game won 11-6 and got a Michael Gouge home run in the bottom of the ninth inning for a 4-3 victory in game two to sweep a Gulf South Conference doubleheader at Billy Grant Field Sunday afternoon.
Valdosta State (11-4, 6-2) opened the scoring of game one in the bottom of the second inning. Jayk Graham doubled to right to open the frame before scoring as Zac Goodno followed with a single to center. Bobby Rice and B.J. Harmon each reached on bunt singled before a Mike Reed fielder’s choice plated Goodno. After Gouge drew a walk to reload the bases, Hayden Jones collected a two-out hit to left that drove home Harmon and Reed for a 4-0 VSU lead.
Delta State (2-7, 1-4) got a run back in the top of the fourth inning as it took advantage of a lead-off walk. Brandon Cummins drew the walk to open frame and moved to second on a ground out before Ethan Gill singled to move him to third. A wild pitch allowed Cummins to score to cut the DSU deficit to 4-1.
Reed and Gouge collected back-to-back doubles in the bottom of the fourth inning to push VSU’s advantage back to four runs while, after DSU got a run in the top of the fifth, the Blazers struck for six more in the bottom of the frame. Bryant Hayman delivered the big blow in the bottom of the fifth as, with the bases loaded and two outs, he sent a 3-2 pitch from Delta State reliever Cody Waddell over the wall in leftfield for a grand slam that pushed the Valdosta State lead to 11-2.
The Statesmen got a two-run home run from Matt Barrett in the eighth inning as well as a two-run roundtripper from Colton Welch in the ninth to close out the game one scoring.
Mitchell Cody went 7.0 innings for Valdosta State and allowed six hits and two runs while striking out four to improve to 3-0 on the season. Meanwhile, Delta State starter Drew Milligan surrendered eight runs on 12 hits in 4.2 innings as he fell to 0-1.
Reed was three-for-five with two RBI and three runs scored while Rice and Jones also had three hits each in the game.
Delta State got on the board first in the second game as it took advantage of an error in the fourth inning. Brandon Cummins reached via the error to open the inning and moved to second on a ground out before taking third on a wild pitch. Ethan Gill delivered a one-out single through a drawn-in infield to drive Cummins home for a 1-0 DSU lead.
The Blazers evened the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the sixth inning as Reed walked to open the frame and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Gouge. Hayman followed with a rocket that bounced off the second baseman’s glove and into right field to plate Reed.
The Statesmen regained the lead as Marc McMilliam opened the top of the seventh with his second home run of the year while Cummins added a sacrifice fly later in the frame, only to have Gouge single home two runs with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings.
After knotting the game at 3-3 in the seventh inning, Gouge hit his third homer of the season with two outs in the ninth for the winning run.
Kellan Bailey allowed just one hit in 3.0 innings as he improved to 2-1 on the season while Nick Goza surrendered four hits, including the Gouge homer, in 2.0 innings to fall to 1-3.
Gouge was two-for-three with three RBI to lead VSU offensively in game two.
Valdosta State returns to action Wednesday, March 4 when it travels to Americus, Ga. to take on Georgia Southwestern at 5:00 p.m.
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