VALDOSTA, Ga. – Valdosta State used a pair of strong pitching performances to sweep Shippensburg 9-1 and 12-1 in a non-conference baseball doubleheader at Billy Grant Field Sunday afternoon.

Shippensburg (1-14) scored first in the first inning as it plated a run in the top of the first inning. With two outs in the frame, Kris Kullman and Cody Kulp walked before a pair of catcher%u2019s interference calls brought hom Kullman for a 1-0 Raider lead.

Valdosta State (17-5) collected the first four hits of the game in the bottom of the fourth to take a 2-1 lead. Brandon Decker doubled to straight away center to open the game and scored two batters later scored as Jon Koenigsfeld doubled down the left-field line. A Jordan Hollis double to left-center plated Koenigsfeld to give VSU the lead.

Decker homered in the fifth, scoring Clayton Cain who had walked to open the inning, to push the Blazer lead to 4-1 while Antonio Clark hit a triple in the sixth to score Ryan Danbury and scored on an Austin Smith infield single push the VSU advantage to five runs.

The Blazers closed out the game one scoring with three runs in the eighth.

Blazer starter Brett Kennedy walked two and hit four batters, but surrendered just one hit while striking out 10 in eight innings of work to improve to 4-2. Ryan Rehman took the loss for Shippensburg as he surrendered six hits and four runs in five innings to fall to 0-4.

Valdosta State got on the board first in the second game as Danbury singled and stole second before moving to third on a Clark single. Decker grounded into a double play that retired Clark, but Danbury scored on the play to give VSU a 1-0 lead.

Chris Jones hit a two-run double in the second that plated Koengisfeld and Hollis to push the Blazer advantage to 3-0 before taking advantage of four walks and two errors in the third to push their lead to eight runs.

Cain hit his sixth home run of the year in the fourth and the Blazers scored their final three runs in the sixth while Shippensburg scored an unearned run in the fifth.

VSU starter Tanner Fudge scattered six hits and walked one while striking out nine batters in five innings to improve to 1-1 on the year. Jimmy Miller fell to 0-2 as he allowed seven hits and eight runs in two and two-thirds innings.

Danbury led Valdosta State at the plate with five hits on the day while Hollis and Cain finished with three hits each.

Valdosta State returns to action Monday, March 8 when it hosts Tiffin at Billy Grant Field at 4:00 p.m.