PENSACOLA, Fla. – The UWF baseball team split a doubleheader with No. 24 Valdosta State on Saturday. The Argonauts won the first game 11-0 in run-rule fashion before the Blazers also claimed an 11-0 win in the scheduled seven inning contest.
UWF moved to 21-19 overall and 15-10 in the Gulf South Conference. VSU is now 28-12 and 17-9.
Game One
UWF used a 7-run fifth inning to break open a pitching duel and allow
Salvatore Ferro to cruise to a complete game victory.
Ferro (6-2) struck out a career-high eight batters and scattered five hits.
"Sal did a great job, putting up some zeroes early which allowed us to get into the dugout and get the offense going," UWF head coach
Mike Jeffcoat said. "We executed the small game and got some things going and guys swung the bats. But pitching is the name of the game and we didn't pitch well in the second game and got behind the eight ball."
Trent Jeffcoat had three hits and scored three times, including the first two for the Argos.
UWF scored first when Jeffcoat was hit by the first pitch he saw in the first, move to second on a hit-and-run groundout and scored on
Jadon Fryman's single to right.
Two innings later, Fryman drove in Jeffcoat again, this time on a bunt with runners on the corners after the UWF shortstop doubled to lead off the inning.
The floodgates opened for the Argos in the fifth when they scored seven runs. Jeffcoat got things started with a single up the middle and then scored two batters later on
Brady Browning's hit-and-run single through the right side. The second run scored when
Preston Moore was hit with the bases loaded.
Josh Prizina then placed a ball inside the third base line for a 2-run double to make it a 6-0 UWF lead. Moore scored on a wild pitch and then when the lineup rolled over, Jeffcoat and O'Shea had RBI hits.
UWF added a pair of unearned runs in the sixth that put the game into the run-rule qualification.
Game Two
VSU got a strong outing in game two from Brandon Raiden. He threw a complete game and struck out seven while holding the Argos to a pair of hits and a walk.
The Blazers scored in second on a delayed double steal. They got their second grand slam of the series when Jisjar Clotida snuck it inside the right field foul pole in the third to extend the lead to 5-0. They scored two more on consecutive fielder's choices for a 7-0 advantage.
VSU scored four more in the sixth to go up 11-0.
Chase Wilkerson (3-1) took the loss for UWF, allowing five runs on five hits in 2.1 innings..
UWF will return to action on Wednesday night when it plays host to Spring Hill. First pitch at Jim Spooner Field is set for 6 p.m.
