VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State stranded nine base runners and allowed seven unearned runs as the Blazers fell 9-1 to Georgia College in non-conference baseball action at Billy Grant Field Tuesday evening.
Valdosta State (28-17) squandered a pair of scorings chances in the first two innings as the Blazers loaded the bases with no outs in the first inning and had a pair on with two outs in the second, but came away empty both times.
Georgia College (28-16) opened the scoring in the top of the third inning as it tallied four hits and took advantage of a VSU error. Tanner Giesel reached on a throwing error with one out in the frame before Jake Sandlin tallied an infield single. Brandon Benson doubled home both base runners and Clay Ardeeser followed with a double to drive home the third run before Steve Hazel tallied a two-out hit to score Ardeeser. Logan Mattix also singled in the inning to plate Hazel for a 5-0 GC lead.
Brandon Purcell singled to open the top of the fourth inning, moved to second on a passed ball and third on a ground out before scoring on a wild pitch to push the Bobcat lead to 6-0.
After leaving five base runners on in the first two innings, VSU continued to strand runners as it left one on in each of the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings.
While Valdosta State continued to strand base runners, the Bobcats added a run in the sixth inning and two more in the seventh.
The Blazers got their only run of the game when Ryan Smith led off the bottom of the ninth inning with his sixth home run of the year, a shot over the wall in right.
Jared Stanley allowed five hits and five runs, only two earned, in 2.2 innings as he fell to 6-3 on the season. B.J. Harmon led VSU offensively as he tallied two of the team's four hits.
Valdosta State returns to action Saturday, May 2 when it opens play in the 2015 Gulf South Conference Tournament in Livingston, Ala. The Blazers will play Alabama-Huntsville at 1:00 p.m. Eastern in the first round of the tournament, which is being played on the campus of West Alabama.
*VSU Sports Information
