VALDOSTA, Ga. – The University of West Alabama baseball team fell hard on Sunday at Valdosta State, losing 17-2 to drop the Gulf South Conference series. UWA falls to 16-12 (3-5 GSC) with the loss while the Blazers improve to 14-17 (5-7 GSC) as they won two of three on the weekend.

Drawing first blood in the game, the Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the third inning when Deon Williams drew a bases loaded walk that plated Tyler Shaw who had earned a free pass to start the frame.

But despite having the bases juiced with no one out in the inning, West Alabama was unable to score again as VSU starter Kevin Rogers (2-4) retired the 3-4-5 hitters, striking out each to wiggle out of the jam.

The hosts proceeded to take control of the game in the bottom frame of the third, scoring five runs on six hits off of UWA starter Barry Meeks (3-2). After the Tigers stranded another pair of runners in both the fourth and fifth innings – the team left eight men on for the day – the VSU offense tacked on another run in fifth.

West Alabama chipped into its deficit when Jeremy Rice scored from third in the fifth on a double-play ball off the bat of Jay Jennings to make the score 6-2, but any threat of a potential comeback was thwarted by the Blazers when they put together their second big inning of the day – and third of the weekend – as they scored 11 in their half of the sixth.

UWA was retired in order in the seventh as the game concluded there due to the run rule.

The Tigers have the school week off before travelling to Pensacola, Fla. on Saturday, Apr. 9, when they will take on one of the nation's top teams in West Florida in a three-game set.