February 27, 2015
 
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PENSACOLA, Fla. – The University of West Florida baseball team split a double header against the No. 18-ranked Valdosta State University Blazers at Jim Spooner Field on Saturday. UWF threw its third shutout of the season in game one, a Gulf South Conference high, before being shutout for the first time this season in a 3-0 loss in game two.
 
After the double header, West Florida stands at 7-6 on the year with a 3-2 GSC mark, while Valdosta State sits in a four-way tie for first with a 4-1 GSC showing and 11-4 overall record.

West Florida extended its home winning streak against the Blazers to 10 games after winning the first game, however the game two lost marks as the first time since April 25, 2010 that Valdosta State has beat the Argonauts in Pensacola. 
 
Game 1: West Florida 8, Valdosta State 0
 
Walker O'Connor continued his 2016 dominance with seven shutout innings, allowing just five hits while striking out seven and walking just one. En route to his third win of the season, O'Connor continued his consecutive inning streak of not allowing an earned run to 21 innings.
 
West Florida saw offensive contributions right away, as Jean Figueroa hit his third home run of the season to give UWF a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Just an inning later, Robert Lopez hit his third home run of the season, a solo shot, to extend UWF's lead to 2-0 in the second inning.
 
In the later stages of the games, UWF strung together more offense as Nic Strasser reached on an error to allow Justin Ambrosino to score a run, while Figueroa followed up with an infield two-RBI single that scored Alex Greene and Strasser, with Strasser using heads-up base running to swipe home on a snoozing Blazer defense.
 
Strasser recorded RBIs in the sixth and eighth, as the sophomore second basemen had an RBI single to left field in the sixth and an RBI double down the left field line in the eighth.
 
Strasser paced the Argonauts lineup, going 3-for-5 on the day with a pair of RBI. Figueroa led the team in RBIs, with three, as Strasser and Figueroa now lead the Argonauts with 15 and 12 RBI on the season, respectively.
 
Josh McLaney picked up two innings of relief, allowing just one base runner in his team-high sixth appearance of the season.
 
Game 2: Valdosta State 3, West Florida 0
 
JT Granat got the start for UWF and contributed another solid start, throwing five innings and allowing two earned runs on six hits while striking out a season-high seven.
 
Valdosta State broke a scoreless tie in the top of the fourth, when Dalton Duty hit a single to left field to bring home a run. VSU would tack on a run apiece in the fifth and sixth to build a 3-0 lead.
 
UWF was not able to muster much offensively, as the Argonauts collected just four hits in the ballgame. Alex Greene extended his hitting streak to a team-high nine games with a single in the bottom of the fifth. Strasser and Figueroa continued their solid Saturday contributions by adding a hit each in the game two setback.
 
VSU starter Kellan Bailey hurled a complete game shutout for the Blazers, allowing just four Argonaut hits.
 
Jarrod Petree came in relief for Granat, surrendering just one hit and one unearned run while striking out a pair over the course of two innings.
 
The series winner will be determined when UWF and VSU conclude their regular season conference series tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. Left-handed junior transfer Anthony Mazzurco is set to make his first start on the mound for the Argonauts.
 
To stay updated on the UWF baseball team, follow the team on Twitter @UWF_Baseball. For information on all UWF Athletics, visit GoArgos.com.