VALDOSTA, Ga. – Haley Fowler's two-run, walk-off homer capped No. 5 Valdosta State's sweep of West Alabama, defeating the Tigers 9-1 and 3-1 in a Gulf South Conference softball double header at Blazer Park on Saturday.

With the wins, the Lady Blazers improve to 19-4 overall, moving to 8-0 against league competition. The Tigers fall to 9-12 on the season, dropping to 4-4 in the GSC.

"Other than two innings of the first game, I felt like competed in every aspect of the ballgame," UWA head coach Carie Dever-Boaz said. "We had a few defensive miscues and some missed pitched that made it 9-0 right away."

Valdosta State jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first frame on a two-run double from Hayley Cruthers and a two-run homer off the bat of Chelsea Canara.

The Lady Blazers extended their lead to 9-0 in the next inning with Cruthers knocking in two more with a base hit and a three-run, inside-the-park homerun from Brandy Morgan.

The Tigers' lone run came on a third-inning, solo shot over the right-centerfield fence off the bat of Audrey Diekmann, her eighth of the season.

Jenna Goldsmith, Ashely Smart and Diekmann each posted two hits, while Ashley Stassin chipped in one. Cruthers and Morgan led the Lady Blazers in Game 1, driving four runs in on three hits and five runs on two hits, respectively.

Kathryn Carter (8-0) earns the win, allowing just one run while striking out two through the duration of the contest. Stassin (3-4) takes the loss, getting pegged for nine runs on 11 hits, despite sitting down two batters.

"I thought we hit the ball well and made some good defensive plays," Dever-Boaz said. "We failed to play the short game well and missed some key bunts, but every now and then you have to tip your hat to the other team."

VSU struck first in Game 2 as well, taking a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first after Taylor Hartenbach's sacrifice fly allowed Jessica Mohl, who reached on a Tiger fielding error two batters prior, to tag-up from third and touch home.

"AC (Storey) had a great hit-and-run, but it hit third base and popped straight up in the air, allowing them to tag-out (Ashley) Smart who was on her way to third."

UWA tied it up in the fourth as Kierra Hague's single drove in Stassin, who made it to third after two Lady Blazer outfielders collided while trying to make a play on her fly ball to right-center.

After two scoreless frames, Fowler found her pitch and launched the game-ending homer over left field, also pushing pinch-runner Caylee Hancock across the plate to seal the 3-1 victory.

Hague and Smart split the Tigers' two hits. Fowler paced Valdosta State with two hits, while Lacey Crandall, Tana McDaniel and Cruthers each contributed a hit.

Avery Lamb (8-1) earns the win, giving up two hits while striking out three. Andrea Edmonds (6-8) takes the loss, giving up two earned runs in the loss.

"I'm not disappointed with where we are at," Dever-Boaz said. "This was the fifth-ranked team in the country, and I felt like we competed. We just need to fix a few things here and there, and we will be right where we need to be."

"We just need to keep competing. The more we stay at it, the better we will get."

The Tigers will wrap up the GSC series against Valdosta State with Game 3 on Sunday. First pitch at Blazer Park is set for noon CST.