VALDOSTA, Ga. - A four hour slugfest in the deciding game three rolls the Wolves way, with UWG defeating Valdosta State 17-13 on Sunday afternoon.
Both teams combined for 30 runs and 40 hits in the marathon rubber match. The 17 runs scored against the Blazers is the most runs scored against a Valdosta State team since 2001.
The Wolves (16-4, 9-3 GSC) got started early in the rubber match, as
Sam Ladner sent the second pitch of the ballgame over the left center fence, giving the Wolves a very early 1-0 lead. UWG was not done, however, as
Anthony Calabro doubled down the line with two outs and one batter later was sent home by an RBI single from
Logan Fink.
After sitting the Wolves down in order in the top of the second, the Blazers (14-8, 7-5 GSC) got on the scoreboard themselves in the bottom half, After back-to-back singles, a ground ball into the hole at shortstop allowed the runner from third to score the first run. VSU wasn't done in the inning, as Bryson Gandy blasted a two run home run over the right field fence, adding two more.
UWG threatened again in the third, getting runners to the corners with just one out in the inning, and Calabro delivered once again with an RBI single up the middle to score Ladner and tie the game at three. Two pitches later, Fink hit a massive three run home run to left field, putting the Wolves up 6-3. The Blazers answered in the bottom half, after consecutive hits had runners at second and third, a passed ball resulted in the fourth run for VSU. One is all they got, and we went to the fourth with a 6-4 lead.
The Blazers cut into the lead once again in the fifth, after two singles and two walks brought in another run.
Ezra Brown settled in after a mound visit, getting two straight outs to end the fifth with the lead.
The Wolves finally got the bats going again in the sixth.
Cooper Prince got the inning started with a single and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. One batter later,
Jared Emory doubled to right center to extend the lead.
Edgar Cruz singled later in the inning to bring home Emory, adding another run to the scoreboard with just one out. UWG was not done in the inning as
Henry Daniels launched a three run home run later in the inning, putting the Wolves up 11-5 going to the bottom half. In that half,
Ezra Brown got two quick outs and Smith decided to go to the pen for
Jack Rasmussen. Rasmussen hit the first batter he faced and then allowed two straight hits bringing home another run for the Blazers. VSU got one more on an errant throw from Hohl, but he made up for it with a circus catch one batter later to limit the damage to just two runs.
UWG got another insurance run in the seventh on a Cruz sac fly, and
Chase Townsend stranded the bases loaded in the bottom half to send us to the eighth with a 12-7 run.
In the eighth, the Wolves added four runs to their tally. Daniels and Calabro got the inning started with back to back singles, and Fink followed that up with a walk. Prince sent a sac fly to left to score Daniels, and Emory started a string of three straight RBI singles, sending us to the bottom of the half with a 16-7 lead. Townsend fired a 1-2-3 frame to send us to the ninth.
Calabro was not done leading the offense, sending another RBI single into the outfield, putting the Wolves up 10 needing three outs to secure the series.
The Blazers added six more in the final frame, but it was not enough as the Wolves secured the series with a 17-13 win.
Calabro led the Wolves at the plate going 5-6 with three runs scored and two RBI's, and eight of the nine starters for UWG had multiple hits in the game. Fink led the team in RBI's with four and Daniels and Cruz added three apiece.
The Wolves are back in action on Tuesday as they welcome in the Georgia Southwestern Hurricanes for midweek action.
