PENSACOLA, Fla. — The Argonauts finished the regular season with two wins over Valdosta State on Saturday at Jim Spooner Field to sweep the series.
Game one
West Florida secured an 8-2 victory over Valdosta State University in the first game of a doubleheader. The scoring began in the third inning when
Hudson Spencer singled and advanced to second on a single by
Zack Stokes.
Tanner Taylor reached on a throwing error, allowing Spencer to score. Another error allowed Stokes to cross home plate, giving West Florida a 2-0 lead by the end of the third inning. In the fifth inning, Stokes' single and subsequent advance on a wild pitch set the stage for Taylor's single. A sacrifice fly by
Peyton Martin brought Stokes home, extending the lead to 3-0.
Valdosta State responded in the sixth inning with a two-run homer. However, the Argos answered back in their half of the inning.
Jay Henderson, pinch running for
Tyler Brobst, reached third on a sacrifice bunt and a balk but was tagged out at home. Later,
Trent Kelly tripled to drive in two runs, and Taylor's single brought Kelly home, making it 6-2. The seventh inning saw further insurance runs for West Florida.
Gann Nobles, pinch hitting, singled and later scored on a single by
Alex Urias.
Andrew Walton scored on a sacrifice fly by Stokes, bringing the score to 8-2. West Florida maintained its lead, with
Christian Pencek closing the game in the ninth inning without allowing further scoring.
Tucker Ricks delivered a strong performance for West Florida, pitching 8 innings with 10 strikeouts and allowing 2 earned runs on 8 hits. He threw 117 pitches, with 81 strikes, and issued only 1 walk, securing his sixth win of the season. Pencek pitched the final inning, conceding 1 hit while throwing 7 of his 8 pitches for strikes.
Game two
In the second game of the doubleheader, the University of West Florida completed the series sweep with a 6-4 victory over Valdosta State University. The Blazers broke the deadlock in the third inning with a single up the middle and eventually scored on a throw. Valdosta State stole home to add another run, giving them a 2–0 lead through three innings.
West Florida responded in the fourth inning when
Tanner Taylor singled and was driven home by
William Lybrook's triple to right center. The fifth inning saw the Argonauts take control, beginning with an
Ethan Babcock double to left center. Babcock advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored along with
Hudson Spencer on
Tanner Taylor's fielder's choice.
William Lybrook was hit by a pitch, and
Peyton Martin singled to bring Taylor home.
Greg Pettay's single through the left side plated two more runs, giving West Florida a 6–2 lead through five innings.
The Blazers narrowed the gap in the sixth inning, scoring two runs. Neither team scored in the seventh inning, and the game concluded with West Florida finishing the series in a sweep over Valdosta State.
Braden Rapp pitched 5.1 innings for the Argonauts, allowing four earned runs on five hits while striking out five and issuing one walk. He threw 93 pitches, 59 of which were strikes, and despite giving up two hit-by-pitches, he maintained a strong record of 6-0.
Micky Scheetz contributed 1.2 innings in relief, giving up three hits and one walk, but managed to strike out three batters. Scheetz efficiently delivered 22 strikes out of 29 pitches and secured his 12th save of the season.
The Argos will travel to Oxford, Ala. to play in the Gulf South Conference tournament beginning on May 1.
