VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State scored three or more runs in six different innings Tuesday evening en route to a 24-9 non-conference baseball victory over Georgia Southwestern at Billy Grant Field.
The Blazers turned in a 27-hit performance to improve to 13-6 overall as GSW fell to 5-15.
Southwestern opened the scoring by pushing across two runs in the first inning as the first three GSW batters reached base safely. Will Redding and Hunt Smith picked up RBIs.
The Hurricanes did not hold the lead for long. VSU answered with five runs in the bottom half of the inning, highlighted by a three-run, base-clearing blast from Zac Goodno.
Freshman Dakota Long followed with his first collegiate home run in the top half of the second inning for GSW.
VSU posted three runs in the second, three more in the third and added another five-run frame in the fifth to put the game out of reach.
Both sides added runs in the late innings.
Redding, Josh Tatnall and Dalton Watley turned in multi-hit performances for the Hurricanes. Tatnall went 2-for-2 with a pair of doubles, scored twice and drove in two. Watley was 2-for-3 at the plate with a double, a RBI and two walks. He also scored a run.
Kevin Cruz was one of eight VSU players to collect multiple hits. Cruz was 5-for-6 with three doubles, a triple and two RBIs. He scored four times. Michael Gouge had four hits, three RBIs and scored three times. Bryant Hayman drove in four, including two with a home run in the sixth inning.
GSW used six pitchers in the ballgame. Starter Jordan McIlwain (0-2) lasted one inning before he was relieved by Matthew Hubbard. Jared Crum, Daniel Perez, Mitch Holloway and Michael Ranieri each pitched less than two innings of relief. The 27 hits allowed on Tuesday are the most surrendered in a game by GSW during the program's NCAA era (2007) and the 24 runs ranks second over that same span, one behind the record.
The Blazers matched GSW by using six pitchers in the contest. Reliever Jared Stanley (3-1) picked up the win. Only the final hurler, Mitch King, managed to keep GSW off the scoreboard. King pitched a scoreless ninth.
GSW returns to Peach Belt Conference play on Saturday with 2 p.m. doubleheader at Montevallo.
