CARROLLTON — Junior Abby Sulte made Gulf South Conference history on Saturday afternoon when she broke the GSC single-season home run record, smashing three homers in a doubleheader split with West Georgia. Valdosta State came up short in the first game, 8-5, before bouncing back for a 12-3 victory in game two. For the season, Sulte currently sits at 28 home runs in 49 games, passing the previous record of 27 homers which was set by VSU’s Courtney Albritton in 2014.
Sulte was still slugging a day later. Though the Blazers dropped a 10-9 contest at West Georgia, she blasted her 29th home run of the season, a solo shot in the first inning.
West Georgia soon went up 2-1, setting off a back-and-forth afternoon.
Valdosta State continued to battle as senior Katie Proctor blasted her 10th home run of the year on a solo homer to knot the game up in the second, 2-2. West Georgia came right back, breaking the tie with a hard-hit single to go up by one run in the bottom of the second, 3-2.
The Blazers stormed back in the top of the fourth, taking a lead-off walk before back-to-back base hits from sophomores Jayme Prandine and Jasmin Stewart loaded the bases. Then in the blink of an eye, pinch hitting sophomore Lexi Patterson came up big in a clutch moment, cranking a grand slam to left field for her second home run of the year to put the Blazers up three, 6-3.
The Wolves answered back with a run in the bottom of the fourth to cut the VSU lead to two, 6-4. However, the Valdosta State bats delivered once again as sophomore Saylor McNearney kicked off the top of the fifth with a lead-off homer for her 13th of the year, putting the Blazers up three once again, 7-4.
UWG struck for three runs on one VSU error and three hits in the fifth, including a home run to cut the VSU lead to one, 7-6.
The Blazer offense continued to fight off the Wolves in the top of the sixth as Sulte cracked a bloop single just before senior Aniston Gano smashed a two-run home run for her 21st homer of the year to put Valdosta State up by three, 9-6.
UWG would not go away quietly, constructing a game-breaking sixth inning that saw the Wolves score four runs on a grand slam to go up by one run entering the seventh inning, 10-9. VSU attempted to rally once more in the top of the seventh as a lead-off walk and a bunt put a Blazer base runner on second with one out.
Junior Brandie Seber then hit a double to put two Blazers on with one just 90 feet away from home plate. However, a Blazer win was not in the cards as a groundout ended the VSU rally. UWG ended up winning the final game of the series while scoring the series victory, 10-9.
Three Blazers took the circle in Sunday’s contest as freshman Toree Wofford got the start, going one inning. She allowed three runs on two hits and three walks. Junior Madison Lumpp then came in and went three innings while giving up three runs (one earned) on five hits and two walks. Graduate student Nadia Zenteno (6-9) came in and pitched the final two innings, giving up four runs (three earned) on four hits. She finished the game with one walk and one strikeout.
The Blazers will now turn their attention to the Gulf South Conference Championship tournament at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Alabama, this week. The fifth-seeded Blazers are set to open up play in the tournament on Wednesday, May 1 when they take on the fourth seed which will either be Alabama Huntsville or West Florida at 4:30 p.m. EST.