LIVINGSTON, Ala. – No. 8 West Alabama Tigers baseball opened its Gulf South Conference series with a doubleheader sweep of the Valdosta State Blazers baseball on Friday at Tartt Field, claiming a 4-0 shutout in game one before rallying for a 6-4 win in the nightcap.
With the pair of victories, West Alabama improved to 18-2 overall while Valdosta State fell to 6-14 on the season.
Game One – Green Tosses Complete Game Shutout
Right-hander Baker Green delivered a dominant outing in the opener, pitching a complete-game shutout to lead the Tigers to a 4-0 victory. Green allowed eight hits over nine innings, walked none, and struck out two to improve to 3-0 on the season.
West Alabama broke the scoreless tie in the third inning when Austin Thacker doubled to left field to drive in Will Wood. Later in the frame, Hudson Walburn lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to score Rashad Robinson and extend the lead to 2-0.
The Tigers added another run in the sixth as Wayne Wilkerson doubled down the left-field line to plate Nick Wilson. Wilkerson struck again in the eighth with an RBI single to bring Wilson home once more and push the lead to 4-0.
Wilkerson paced the offense with a 3-for-4 performance and two RBIs, while Walburn and Aaron Wallace each collected two hits as the Tigers finished with 10 hits in the opener.
Game Two – Tigers Rally Late for 6-4 Victory
Game two featured more back-and-forth action as Valdosta State jumped on the board in the second inning with a solo home run from Charlie Banks. West Alabama answered quickly when Tanner Jones delivered an RBI single that scored Wilkerson to even the score at 1-1.
The Blazers regained the lead in the fifth inning on a solo home run by Parker Ladd, but the Tigers responded with a three-run frame. Walburn singled through the left side to drive in Will Wood before Nick Wilson added a sacrifice fly to score Robinson. Kyle Blevins then grounded out to bring home Aaron Wallace and give UWA a 4-2 lead.
Valdosta State tied the game in the sixth with a two-run single from Ryan Strachan, but West Alabama answered immediately. A wild pitch allowed Wood to score before Wilson added another RBI groundout to score Robinson and make it 6-4.
On the mound, Tyler Pierce earned the win in relief, tossing 1.1 scoreless innings with one strikeout to improve to 2-0. Starter Colin Woodham allowed two runs over five innings while striking out four.
Offensively, Robinson led the Tigers with a perfect 2-for-2 performance and two runs scored, while Wood added two hits and two runs. Walburn, Jones, Wilson, and Blevins each recorded RBIs in the victory.
West Alabama will look to complete the series sweep against Valdosta State in the finale on Saturday, March 7th at Tartt Field, with first pitch scheduled for 12 PM.
