VALDOSTA, Ga. – The No. 9 West Florida baseball team dropped the third game of its series at Valdosta State 12-6 Sunday afternoon on the road.
 
The Argonauts (7-5, 2-4) scored five runs on eight hits but four Argo pitchers surrendered 12 runs to the Blazers (9-3, 4-2) in the loss.
 
"It was a disappointing day at the ballpark," UWF coach Mike Jeffcoat said. "We didn't pitch well. They hit all of our mistakes, and we couldn't overcome the home runs again. We've just got to get back to work this week, bounce back and see if we can get our team moving in the right direction."
 
Alex Stevens (Pensacola, Fla./Lurleen B. Wallace CC) lasted just 0.2 innings before Reed Bright (Pelham, Ala./Snead State CC) came on in relief with the Argos down 3-0.
 
A two-run single by Tanner Barnhard (Orlando, Fla./Lake Sumter State) in the top of the second cut the deficit to 3-2, and Nick Kerkmann gave the Argos a 4-3 lead with a two-run double in the top of the third.
 
But the Blazers scored five in the fourth and four in the eighth to pull away for the win.
 
Nic Strasser (Orlando, Fla./Dr. Phillips HS) extended his hitting streak to 11 after going 2-for-4 with a solo home run in the seventh, the first homer of his career, and Sean Plunkett (Ocala, Fla./College of Central Florida ) went 3-for-5 with an RBI double in the ninth.

UWF returns home to play Spring Hill Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 6 p.m. at Jim Spooner Field.
 
For information on all UWF athletics, visit www.GoArgos.com.