CARROLLTON, Ga. - The regular season closed on Sunday afternoon at Billy Grant Field in Valdosta, Ga., as the West Georgia Wolves fell 11-3 to the Valdosta State Blazers in Gulf South Conference action.
The loss for West Georgia means that the Wolves will be the seventh seed in the 2019 Gulf South Conference tournament. This year's tourney will be held just 45 minutes from Carrollton at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Ala. UWG will await the final between Delta State and Mississippi College to determine the second-seeded team in the GSC tournament, as it will either be West Florida or Mississippi College.
The Wolves opened the game in solid fashion, as Cade Marlowe stole two bases in the top of the first, then came home for the first score of the game on a single off the bat of senior Logan Taylor. Valdosta State turned around and scored the tying run in the bottom of the second before the Wolves regained the lead with a run in the top of the third. Taylor drew a two-out walk, then stole second before scoring on a single from Joe Skinner to make it 2-1.
In the bottom of the fourth, things took a turn south for the Wolves, as Valdosta State added eight runs in the inning to take a commanding 9-2 lead. West Georgia cut into that lead int he top of the fifth, scoring Brody Wortham on a double play to make it 9-3.
But, as has been the case for much of the weekend, the team that trails early has almost always bounced back. Valdosta State bounced back again in the bottom of the fifth, adding two runs to take a commanding 11-3 lead.
In the top of the sixth, the Wolves plated two runs and one West Georgia player stepped into school history. Tucker Breen scored on a single from Dylan Johnson, then Johnson came around to score on a single from Nick Poskey to cut the lead to 11-5. In the inning, the Wolves executed a double-steal, giving Cade Marlowe a tie for the all-time lead in stolen bases at UWG with 43.
West Georgia closes the season at 26-23 on the year with a 15-14 record against Gulf South Conference opponents Valdosta State ends the year with a 27-19 record overall and 14-12 record in league play.
Next up, the Wolves will take on either Mississippi College or West Florida in the Gulf South Conference first round at 2 p.m. on Friday.
