LIONS LOSE TWO GAMES IN FINAL INNING AT VSU
VALDOSTA, Ga.
-- The University of North Alabama baseball
team suffered a huge setback Saturday,
losing a Gulf South Conference double-header
to Valdosta State, 14-13 and 5-4. The Lions
lost both games in the Blazers' final
at-bat. VSU scored three runs in the bottom
of the eighth in the opener to overcome a
13-11 UNA lead and forced extra innings in
the nightcap before getting a game-winning
homer in the bottom of the eighth.
The sweep drops
UNA to 29-16-1 overall and 5-6 in the GSC.
Valdosta State improved to 24-21 and 6-5.
The two teams
meet in the final game of the series on
Sunday.
In the opener
plated three runs in the top of the first
inning. Josh Phillips walked to open the
inning before being sacrificed to second by
Matt Horton. Daniel Johnson followed with a
base hit to center that plated Phillips. VSU
starter Chris Davison walked the next two
batters to load the bases before Trey
Pollard scored Johnson with a ground out. A
throwing error by Blazer catcher Jacob
Jarvis allowed Josh Graham to score to give
the Lions a 3-0 advantage.
Valdosta State
cut its deficit to two in the bottom of the
inning as Calem Ray scored before UNA pushed
its lead to 6-1 in the third. Johnson
doubled to open the frame and moved to third
on Graham's base hit. Brandon Atkins'
fielding error on A.J. Reed's grounder
allowed Johnson to score before a wild pitch
moved both Graham and Reed into scoring
position. A Pollard base hit scored Graham
and chased Davison. VSU reliever Wade West
walked Nick Newberry to load the bases
before registering a pair of outs on a line
out and a strike out, but also walked
Phillips to force in Reed for the third run
in the frame.
The Blazers
added three more runs in the bottom of the
fourth before taking advantage of four UNA
errors in the fifth to score grab its first
lead. Ray singled to lead off and moved
around to third when Phillips misplayed the
ball in center. Daniel Muniz followed with a
ground ball to score Ray and reached safely
when Reed mishandled the grounder. Nick
Phillips pinch-ran and was thrown out
attempting to steal second while Chris
Harris struck out for the second out in the
inning. Rance Morgan followed with a single
and moved to second on an error by Ross
Parker in left before scoring when Brandon
Atkins singled to left. Parker's throw
eluded Johnson at third and went into the
VSU dugout to put Atkins on third. Nick
Copeland singled to score Atkins while
pinch-hitter Dustin Rucker doubled to center
to plate Copeland.
Despite the
errors, all four runs in the inning were
earned as VSU claimed an 8-6 advantage.
North Alabama
scored three runs in both the sixth and
seventh and one in the eighth while VSU
added a single run in the sixth and two in
the seventh, on Sydney's Spell's third home
run of the season, to post UNA to a 13-11
lead heading to the bottom of the eighth.
Valdosta State
took advantage of the ninth UNA error of the
game to push three runs across in the bottom
of the eighth for the win. With one out and
Newberry (1-1) having moved from catcher to
pitcher, Harris walked and reached second
safely when Jackson Agee dropped the throw
on Morgan's fielder's choice. Atkins walked
to load the bases while Copeland doubled to
drive in Harris and Morgan. Pinch-hitter
Jesse Barfield was intentionally walked and
Huff was hit by a pitch to force in Atkins
for the winning run.
North Alabama
loaded the bases with no outs in the top of
the ninth, but a pair of ground outs and a
pop up ended the game without a run scoring.
Brad Altone
allowed just one hit in the final two
innings to improve to 3-2 on the season. The
Blazers pounded out 17 hits, the third-most
by VSU this season, led by Atkins, Morgan
and Copeland who had three each.
The Blazers
committed six errors in the game and
surrendered four unearned runs.
Newberry gave
up just one hit and three runs, only one of
which was earned, in two thirds of an inning
to fall to 1-1 on the season.
Johnson
collected four of UNA's 12 hits in the game,
but the Lions surrendered six unearned runs
as they committed nine errors in the game.
North Alabama
again scored three runs in the top of the
first in game two to grab an early lead.
Phillips doubled to open the game and scored
as Horton singled. Johnson was hit by a
pitch to put two men on base.
A pair of fly
outs allowed Horton to score while Andrew
Knerrâ's single scored Johnson for a 3-0 UNA
lead.
The Lions added
another run in the top of the third before
VSU plated their first run in the bottom of
the inning. With one out Huff singled and
moved to second on Ray's ground out. A
Muniz bloop single to shallow right allowed
Huff to score, cutting the UNA lead to 4-1.
VSU further cut
into its lead in the fourth as Atkins
singled and eventually scored on a Spell
base hit before the game was delayed due to
rain for an hour and fifteen minutes in the
bottom of the fifth.
When the game
resumed, Huff, who had singled and been
sacrificed to second before the rain delay,
scored with two outs when Morgan singled to
left, cutting the Blazer deficit to 4-3.
Valdosta State
evened the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the
seventh.
Richard Flores
and Justin Huff were both hit by pitches to
open the inning. With one out, Daniel Muniz
singled, driving home Rusty Harris who was
pinch-running for Flores.
Justin Hill
closed out the game as he hit a 1-0 pitch
from UNA starter Richard Brindle (6-2) over
the left field wall for his second home run
of the year.
John Sirmon
pitched the final three inning, allowing
just two hits and striking out three, to
improve to 5-1. Huff and Muniz each had two
hits for VSU in the game.
Horton led
North Alabama offensively in the game,
registering three hits in five at-bats.
Printable Game
Statistics - Game 45 - Valdosta State
Printable Game Statistics - Game 46 -
Valdosta State
