VALDOSTA, Ga. – The No. 9 West Florida baseball team lost both games of a doubleheader for the first time this season at Valdosta State Saturday.
 
The Argonauts (7-4, 2-3) came back to tie game one in a thrilling eighth inning before losing 9-4. In game two, UWF ended up on the wrong side of a pitcher's duel, losing 2-1 in extra innings.
 
"It was a tough day all the way around," UWF coach Mike Jeffcoat said. "We've got to give Valdosta credi."
 
Chase Kiefer (Pensacola, Fla./Pensacola Catholic HS) went 5-for-7 on the day, and Alex Greene (Orlando, Fla./Hagerty HS) went 4-for-8 with two doubles. Nic Strasser (Orlando, Fla./Dr. Phillips HS) extended his hitting streak to 10 games after going 3-for-7 with an RBI.
 
Game One: West Florida 4, Valdosta State 9
 
VSU scored first on an RBI single in the first inning and added two more on a pair of solo home runs in the fourth to lead 3-0. UWF came back to tie the game 4-4 in the eighth, but VSU used three more home runs in the eighth to lead 9-4.
 
"Their starter did a great job through seven innings," Jeffcoat said. "I'm very proud of the guys for coming back in the top of the eighth and tying it up with a big two-run homer by Plunkett.  Unfortunately, we couldn't get them out in the bottom of the eighth. The ball was flying out of the yard today. It was one of those days."
 
Jarrod Petree (Apopka, Fla./Central Florida) went 3.2 innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits with a pair of strikeouts.
 
Matt Rodriguez (Ocala, Fla./College of Central Florida) pitched 3.1 innings in relief, allowing two hits and one run with five strikeouts before UWF came back in the eighth.
 
In the eighth, Kiefer led off the inning with a single and came around to score on a Ledarious Clark (Meridian, Miss./East Mississippi CC) double. Clark scored when Nic Strasser (Orlando, Fla./Dr. Phillips HS) reached on an error, and Sean Plunkett (Ocala, Fla./College of Central Florida) tied the game 4-4 on the first home run of his Argo career.
 
But VSU responded with five runs in the bottom half of the inning, and Josh McLaney (Laurel Hill, Fla./Paxton HS) was credited with the loss in relief.
 
Game Two: West Florida 1, Valdosta State 2
 
VSU got on the board first with a run in the bottom of the third after a leadoff walk and a pair of singles. The Argos tied the game 1-1 in the fifth after Greene doubled to center and came around to score when Brandon Tyler (Pace, Fla./Pace HS) reached on an error.
 
Brandon Nagem (Pensacola, Fla./Northwest Florida State) received no decision after pitching 6.1 innings of one-run ball, allowing five hits and striking out three. It was the first time Nagem had allowed an earned run in 22 innings this season, and he snapped his scoreless inning streak at 17.1 innings.
 
"Nagem threw a great game," Jeffcoat said. "We couldn't execute on the offensive end when we had runners on."
 
Ronnie May (Apopka, Fla./Apopka HS) came on in relief with one out and runners on the corners and pitched out of the jam unscathed. But he would eventually take the loss, allowing a walk-off single in the ninth. He pitched 2.1 innings, allowing one hit, one walk and one run.
 
"We've got to see if we can bounce back and salvage the series tomorrow," Jeffcoat said.
 
UWF will conclude the series at Valdosta State Sunday, Feb. 22, at 1 p.m. ET.
 
For information on all UWF athletics, visit www.GoArgos.com.