VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Mississippi College baseball team dropped a Gulf South Conference doubleheader on Saturday, March 29 as Valdosta State University rallied for a pair of victories at Billy Grant Field. The Blazers (20-14, 14-6 GSC) secured a 3-2 comeback win in the opening game of the day, before using a big fourth inning to claim a 10-6 victory in the nightcap. MC moves to 22-12 on the campaign and 13-8 in league play.
JT Vance and
Korey Cooper led the way for the Blue and Gold at the dish, as they each went 3-for-8 (.375). Vance drove in three run over the twinbill while Cooper notched a pair of RBI.
MC started fast in the opener as
JT Vance launched a two-run homer in the first inning, giving the Choctaws an early advantage. It marked the 31st home run of his career and the fourth of the week for the Union, Miss., native.
However, VSU chipped away at the deficit, scoring in the fifth on a ground out. A solo home run from Orlando Pena tied the contest and Hunter Stowe followed with a solo homer of his own, giving the Red and Black its only lead of the day. The Blazers' pitching tandem of Hunter Booth and Ryan Brown held the Choctaw bats to six hits on the day, including a pair of multiple-hit performances from Vance and
Tyler Jacobsen. Booth (4-4) worked eight strong innings, scattering five hits and striking out four to earn the win, while Brown (3) retired the side in order in the ninth for the save.
Caleb Peterson (1-3) took the loss for MC, allowing three runs on five hits over 5.1 innings.
Dylan Coper saw action with two-plus inning in relief, holding the Blazers off the board and hitless, while striking out a pair.
The second game saw MC once again jump ahead early, scoring in the first inning on a ground out by Vance. It marked the third time over the weekend the Blue and Gold beat the Blazers to the punch. After the Blazers answered with two runs in the second, the Choctaws tied the game in the fourth with a
Logan Shurden RBI double.
However, VSU responded with an eight-run, fourth inning, regaining control of the contest. Key hits in the inning included a two-run single by Pena and a two-run double by Easton Hood. The Choctaws attempted to rally in the sixth with a solo home run from
Korey Cooper and a two-run shot by
Jackson Williford, but the deficit was too much to overcome. The two homers sandwiched an
Alex Johnson RBI double to cap the scoring.
Drake LaRoche (6-1) picked up the win for Valdosta State, tossing five innings and allowing just one earned run. MC's
Gabe Garner (4-1) suffered his first loss of the season after surrendering four runs in two innings of relief.
Mississippi College continues its road swing on Tuesday, April 1 as it takes on Arkansas Tech University. It is the second clash between the Wonder Boys and Choctaws as they closed out the Houston Astros Winter Invitational earlier this season. First pitch in Russellville, Ark., is 3 p.m.