Carrollton, GA - The third-ranked Valdosta State Blazers, reeling from its first two losses of the season yesterday, invaded Carrollton on Monday afternoon, holding off West Georgia 11-9 in the opener followed by a 9-0 win in the nightcap.
The Wolves' offense, which had struggled in the last three games, woke up against VSU starter Holly Satterfield in game one. Satterfield came into the week as one of the best pitchers in the GSC, statistically speaking.
Trailing 9-0 in the bottom of the fourth, the Wolves began their rally. Sophomore star
Lindsay Ellenburg kicked things into gear with a leadoff single, followed by a one-bagger from
Crissy Rainwater.
Kaley Sullivan moved the runners over with a ground out, followed by a sacrifice fly from
Megan Garcia to put the Wolves on the board.
But West Georgia wasn't done, as Rainwater scored during the next at-bat, a walk from
Kelsey Francen, bringing up the UWG catcher,
Aubrey Biddle. The sophomore blasted a two-run homer over the left-field wall, pulling the Wolves to within five at 9-4.
The Blazers added two more in the fifth, but a Garcia double in the bottom of the inning scored two runs, keeping the Wolves in the game. Ellenburg closed out the scoring in the bottom of the sixth with a two-run blast over the center field fence, pulling the Wolves as close as they would get at 11-9.
In the second game, VSU starter Margaret Carter kept UWG off balance for the duration, allowing three hits in a shutout victory.
West Georgia falls to 10-20 on the year and 0-4 in the GSC while Valdosta State moves to 12-2 overall and 2-2 in GSC play. The Wolves continue their whirlwind week on Tuesday afternoon at University Field, facing off against 12th-ranked Augusta State at 2 p.m.