Box Score VALDOSTA, Ga. – The University of West Georgia baseball team rallied late, but ultimately fell to rival Valdosta State in walk-off fashion for a 7-6 setback at Grant Field on Sunday to open a three-game Gulf South Conference series.

After weather pushed the start of the series back a day and then delayed the start on Sunday to a 4 p.m. first pitch, the series will resume – and conclude – with a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Monday.

The Wolves (14-17, 13-15 GSC) got off to an ominous start Sunday with the Blazers (18-12, 16-11) scoring three runs on three hits, two walks and an error in the opening inning, chasing UWG freshman starter Jack Rasmussen by the second.

But West Georgia received a tremendous lift from sophomore Ezra Brown, who came on in relief and kept the Wolves in the contest. The Temple High School product delivered a gem behind 5.1 innings of work, allowing one run on four hits with one walk and seven strikeouts.

"Ezra came in and gave us an outstanding effort. He put up some zeroes there to give us a chance. We got ourselves back in the game. Just a typical series between us and Valdosta," UWG head coach Jeff Smith said. "Ezra was commanding his pitches and his change-up was working well. He was able to keep them off-balance, which led to some short innings and he was able to effectively locate the baseball."

Trailing 4-0 after two innings, the UWG bats came alive courtesy of a familiar theme, as senior standout Dan Oberst extended his hitting streak to 21 games on an RBI double and came around to score on an RBI base knock by senior catcher Lane Griffith to cut the lead in half.

Brown wiggled out of a bases-loaded jam in the home half of the fourth and Oberst dwindled the deficit down to one on a solo blast in the seventh, his 15^th home run of the season.

"Dan came up big there hitting that home run. It cut it to one. We were able to put some runs on the board. Their starter threw a lot of pitches and we were able to get out there and get into the bullpen," Smith said. "That gave us an opportunity to make it a game."

VSU's E.J. Doskow connected on a pinch-hit home run in the bottom of the seventh, but the Wolves answered with three runs in the top of the eighth to take their first lead of the game at 6-5.

Griffith started the rally with a leadoff walk and junior shortstop Joseph Hill reached on an error. A bunt single by junior center fielder Jason Fointno loaded the bases with no outs, but Blazer reliever Jakob Barker came in and recorded back-to-back outs before a fielding error on a ball hit by UWG junior left fielder Ethan Brant knotted the game up at 5-all. In the next at-bat, junior shortstop Cody Mish put the Wolves ahead by stroking an RBI single.

The Blazers pulled even on a one-out, RBI single by designated hitter David Mayberry in the eighth and pulled off the comeback on a two-out, walk-off single from catcher Jacob Harper in the ninth.

Second baseman Ben Rowdon (3-for-4, BB, SB, 2B, 3 runs), Mayberry (2-for-4, 2 RBI) and center fielder Nick Lewis (2-for-5, 3B, run, RBI) led VSU offensively, while Oberst (2-for-4, 2 SB, 2B, HR, 2 runs, 2 RBI) and Griffith (2-for-4, BB, RBI) paced the Wolves.

West Georgia still has an opportunity to capture a third consecutive series victory by returning to the diamond on Monday in a twin bill back at Grant Field.