Blazers win 8-7 in 13 innings

VALDOSTA, Ga. – A Ryan Danbury single in the bottom of the 13th inning completed a Valdosta State come-from-behind win as the 17th-ranked Blazers defeated No. 12 Georgia College 8-7 in non-conference baseball action at Billy Grant Field Wednesday afternoon.

After Georgia College (26-12) took the lead on a Shawn Ward run-scoring double in the top of the 13th, Chris Jones singled and took second on an error for Valdosta State (32-12) with one out in the bottom of the frame. Don DiPetta proceeded to double into the left-field corner to plate Jones before Jordan Hollis drew a walk. Danbury proceeded to hit a 2-2 pitch through the right-side of the infield to plate DiPetta for the Blazer victory.

VSU forced the extra innings on a grand slam by Jordan Yost in the bottom of the ninth inning. GCSU starter Matt Kaplan, who allowed just three hits in eight and a third innings of work, hit Brandon Decker to open the ninth inning and gave up a single to Clayton Cain before being lifted for reliever Ryan Tabor. Tabor surrendered a single to Austin Smith to load the bases before Yost sent the first pitch he saw from the left-hander over the wall in left field to tie the game at 6-6.

VSU took advantage of three Bobcat errors in the first inning to score a run. Danbury reached on an error to open the inning, but was ruled out when the base umpire ruled that a Jon Koenigsfeld ground ball hit his foot. Koenigsfeld reached first on the fielder’s choice and with two outs broke from first second base. The throw to second from first baseman Matt Pitts on the play skipped into left field, allowing Koenigsfeld to move to third while leftfielder Kyle Allen bobbled the ball and Koenigsfeld beat the throw home to give VSU a 1-0 lead.

Georgia College got the run back in the top of the second as Ward led off with a single to left and scored on a Benton Yaun triple down the right field line before taking a 3-1 lead in the fourth. With two outs in the frame, Yaun was hit by a pitch and scored as Richard Pirkle hit a 1-2 pitch down the left field line for a double. Pirkle took third on the throw home on the play and scored as Jason Venya hit a chopper over the head of Smith at third base.

Two singles and a pair of walks pushed the GCSU lead to 4-1 in the fifth inning before a Brett George suicide squeeze and a sacrifice fly by Sean Harrell in the eighth gave the Bobcats their final two runs of the day.

Smith doubled and scored the second VSU run in the eighth as he moved to third on a Yost single in the eighth and scored when Jones grounded into a fielder’s choice to cut the Bobcat lead to 6-2.

Tyler Wooten improved to 3-0 for Valdosta State after allowing a hit and a run in the 13th inning. Kaplan retired 21 straight batters in a stretch that covered the first through seventh innings in the game while walking no batters, hitting one and striking out four. Dillon Waters (0-2) took the loss after surrendering two hits and two runs in an inning and a third.

Yost finished with two hits and four RBI to lead Valdosta State offensively while also striking out five batters in four innings on the mound. Danbury, Smith and Jones also finished the day with two hits each for the Blazers.

Ward tallied four hits to lead GCSU while Yaun had three. Pirkle and Venya finished with two hits each.

Valdosta State returns to action Saturday, April 17 when it opens a three-game series against Lambuth in Billy Grant Field. Saturday’s first game is slated for a 3:00 p.m. first pitch.