VALDOSTA, GA – The University of Montevallo baseball team takes game one of their Gulf South Conference series over Valdosta State win a 4-2 win on Friday, Mar. 21. With the win, the Falcons improve to 15-13 and 8-8 in GSC play while the Blazers move to 15-13 and 10-5 in conference play.
 
It was a pitcher dual at Bill Grant Field between Montevallo's Adiel Melendez and Valdosta State's Zac Dodson as both pitchers gave their teams a chance to win. Dodson opened the game with a zero as he faced the minimum in the first. McGwire Turner would single his first at bat, but would be erased on a 6-4-3 double play. Melendez started his outing as dominant as he finished against West Alabama last start as he struck out the side.
 
Evan Radford led off the second with a single to left. Valdosta State retired the next three batters from UM on ground outs. Melendez picked up his fourth consecutive strikeout of the outing to start the bottom of the second. After a single by VSU, McGwire Turner and Payton Stephenson would roll a 4-6-3 double play ball to get out of the inning.
 
The Falcons would get on the scoreboard in the third after a lead off single by Dominic Maldet. Maldet stole second and scored on a single to left off the bat of McGwire Turner. The Blazers would get the first two runners on in the third with singles. A sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third with one out. VSU scored on an RBI ground out, and would score the runner on second on a Falcon error.
 
After both teams went scoreless in the fourth and fifth innings, Montevallo would take the lead on Connor Crowson's GSC leading 10^th home run of the season. After the two-run shot, Evan Radford with a solo shot off Valdosta State's scoreboard in left center for back-to-back homers. In the bottom half of the sixth, VSU would load the bases with one down. Melendez struck out his eighth batter of the outing and induce an inning ending fly out to leave the bases loaded with no damage done.
 
Melendez eclipsed the 100-pitch mark in the seventh, but fatigue was not an issue as he struck out the final two batters in the inning for an even 10 strikeouts. He gave way to Garrett Sloan with one out in the eighth as Sloan finished the inning with a strikeout and a ground out.
 
Sloan earned his eighth save of the season as he retied the Blazers in order in the bottom of the ninth.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Score: Montevallo 4 | Valdosta State 2
Records: Montevallo 15-13 (8-8 GSC) | Valdosta State (10-5 GSC)
Location: Billy Grant Field (Valdosta, GA)
 
GAME NOTES

• In two games and 11 at bats this week, McGwire Turner has been on base 10 times this week. In his last 22 at bats, Turner has 14 hits, eight runs scored, three doubles, one homer and nine RBI.
• Adiel Melendez struck out a career-high 10 batters today. It was his sixth outing where he went six innings or more and his fifth outing where he's allowed one earned run or less.
• Connor Crowson hit his conference-leading 10^th homer of the season.
• Evan Radford went back-to-back with Crowson as he hit his sixth home run of the season.
• Garrett Sloan earned his eighth save of the season. Sloan is now tied for fourth in the program's single-season save leaders.
• With stolen bases by McGwire Turner and Dominic Maldet, this is now the Falcons fifth game this season where they have stolen multiple bases in a game.

 
ON DECK
The Falcons will take on the Valdosta State Blazers on Saturday, Mar. 22 in the double-header of their GSC series. First pitch of the first game is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT at Billy Grant Field. Gino Cozzi will take the ball in game one while Matthew Bullard will make his first start of the season in the series finale.