CLEVELAND, Miss. – The stars aligned for Valdosta State softball on Sunday, and after an 11-3 rout of Delta State in the regular season finale, West Florida fell in a 1-0 extra-inning loss to Shorter, which allowed the Blazers to jump into second place and earn a first-round bye heading into the Gulf South Conference Tournament this week in Florence, Ala.
The Blazers (38-10-2, 22-9-1 GSC) claimed the victory thanks to their second consecutive offensive onslaught, which included 13 hits and 11 runs scored against just five hits and three runs by the Lady Statesmen (33-18, 21-12 GSC).
Caitlyn Calhoun continued her stellar senior campaign with yet another solid performance that consisted of five strikeouts and just one walk issued over 7.0 innings of work. With the victory, she closed out the regular season with a 26-4 record overall.
Danielle Patterson, Taylor Hartenbach, and Kiley Rusen each delivered multiple hits in the Sunday afternoon showdown, andHeather Robinson obliterated a Katie Justice pitch in the fourth to net three RBI’s in one swing and collect her 12th home run of the season.
Robinson’s homer accounted for one of three in the game, as Brandy Morgan and Kelly Gordon bookended the day with homers in the first and final innings, respectively. Morgan’s blast moved the sophomore into double digits on the year in the column with ten, and Gordon’s pinch-hit, two-run shot in the seventh marked her first of the season.
With the win, the Blazers improved their overall record to 38-10-2 on the season, but more importantly, Head Coach Thomas Macera‘s squad bumped their conference record up to 22-9-1 on the year. With their GSC winning percentage up to .703 after the win, Valdosta State began a scoreboard watch that ended with a nail biting conclusion between the Argonauts and the Hawks late Sunday afternoon. UWF (38-12, 24-9 GSC) ultimately fell in nine innings, which dropped the team to just six percentage points below the Blazers at .697 in conference play.
The GSC Tournament will begin on April 28th, in Florence, Ala. at the site of the top-ranked North Alabama (46-5, 30-3 GSC). The tournament will feature the top six teams in the GSC, and Valdosta State will begin play at 4:00 p.m. EST against the winner of Shorter and West Florida.
Tickets for the event are priced at $8.00 for adults, $5.00 for children 6-17, $5.00 for students with a GSC Student ID, and FREE for children 5 and under. Tournament passes are available for purchase at $20.00.
For more information on the 2016 GSC Tournament, check out the links below.
2016 Gulf South Conference Tournament Page
2016 Gulf South Conference Bracket
2016 Gulf South Conference Standings
