MONTEVALLO, Ala. – Montevallo baseball dropped a doubleheader with Valdosta State, on Saturday, at Kermit A. Johnson Field, for just the second Gulf South Conference series loss of the year.
UM entered the weekend in a tie for first in the GSC standings but are now in a tie for fourth with a 2-1 series loss.
Game one of the doubleheader featured a thrilling, back-and-forth offensive affair that went to extra innings. The 12-11 loss snapped an eight-game GSC win streak for UM.
In game two, VSU bested the Falcons 9-3.
GAME 1 INFORMATION
Score: Montevallo 11 | Valdosta State 11 (10 inn.)
Records: Montevallo 21-13 (12-5) | Valdosta State 15-12 (9-8)
Location: Montevallo, AL
In a game that featured 23 runs and 31 hits, combined, the Falcons fell short, 12-11 in extra innings.
Valdosta State took control of the game early on with five runs between the first two frames, to lead 4-0. In the bottom of the second,
Jake O'Connell responded for the Falcons and blasted his third homer of the year, a two-run shot to left center, to trim the deficit to three, 5-2.
Gino Cozzi made quick work of the Blazers in the third, giving way for UM's offense to add three more in the bottom of the inning. After a quick out,
Evan Liddie registered his conference-leading 18
th hit-by-pitch to get aboard with one out. Next,
Zen Hiatt singled, leading to a three-run homer for
Logan Harbin to even the score 5-5.
After a pair of scoreless innings in the fourth and fifth, VSU found two runs in the sixth to break the tie and lead 7-5. Once again, Montevallo responded and scored two unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth to tie, 7-7. With one out, a
Connor Crowson RBI groundout scored
Mitchell Walker and pushed UM ahead, 8-7.
The back-and-forth affair continued in the seventh as VSU added a run, to tie, 8-8, on an RBI single. In the bottom of the inning, O'Connell delivered again for Montevallo with an RBI double to push the lead to two, 9-8. Walker followed O'Connell with an RBI single to extend the lead to two, 10-8.
A solo homer by the Blazers in the top of the eighth inning cut Montevallo's lead back to one, 10-9. However, in the bottom of the frame, freshman
Daniel Irizarry blasted his first career home run over the left field wall to provide an insurance run for the Falcons, 11-9.
The red-hot VSU offense wouldn't go away in the ninth though, as a two-run homer by Owen Lawn evened the score, 11-11.
In the bottom of the ninth with one out
Logan Harbin reached with a single but back-to-back fly outs forced extra innings.
Valdosta State quickly regained the lead back from Montevallo in the 10
th by pushing across Ryan Romano who started the inning on second, with a single, to lead 12-11.
Walker led off the bottom of the 10
th with a walk. An ensuing fielders choice from
Evan Kirk, kept runners on first and second but the lead runner, O'Connell was retired at third. Crowson drew a walk to load the bases but the Falcons were unable to cash in, falling 12-11.
GAME NOTES
- Montevallo scored 11 runs on 13 hits while VSU tallied 12 runs on 18 hits.
- Jake O'Connell led UM at the plate as he went 3-for-5 with three RBI, a homer and a double.
- Logan Harbin added three RBI as he went 2-for-4 at the plate.
- Daniel Irizarry finished 2-for-5 and hit his first career home run while also adding a double.
GAME 2 INFORMATION
Score: Montevallo 3 | Valdosta State 9
Records: Montevallo 21-14 (12-6) | Valdosta State 16-12 (10-8)
Location: Montevallo, AL
Montevallo fell behind early on to the Blazers, much like game one of the series, 1-0, in the first. VSU picked up where they left off with a two-RBI double and an RBI single in the second to take an early 4-0 lead.
After holding VSU scoreless in the third, a double from
Logan Harbin provided an answer for the Falcons and plated UM's first run, trimming the deficit to 4-1.
Two more runs in the fourth pushed the Blazers to a 6-1 advantage.
An RBI single from
Jake O'Connell added a run for UM in the fifth, but Montevallo left two runners on to trail, 6-2.
Montevallo fell behind 8-2 to begin the sixth after a VSU homer but grabbed one run back in the bottom of the frame on an error, to make it 8-3.
Valdosta State extended its lead to 9-3 in the seventh and the Falcons were unable to sustain a rally, falling 9-3.
GAME NOTES
- Valdosta State added nine runs and 10 hits to its total on the weekend while Montevallo turned in three runs on six hits.
- Valdosta State added its seventh error of the series in the final game. UM made two errors in game three.
- Connor Crowson was 2-for-3 with a walk and a run.
- Evan Liddie registered a double and went 2-for-4 with a run scored.
- Logan Harbin and Jake O'Connell each drove in runs.
- Breydan Calapa pitched one and a third innings for UM and picked up his first career strikeout.
UP NEXT:
Montevallo will take a five-day break before traveling to Rome, Georgia for a three-game series with Shorter beginning Friday, April 5.