VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Florida Tech baseball team dropped the series in game one of its doubleheader to Valdosta St., 8-4, but bounced back in game two to split the day and came away with a 5-1 victory in the nightcap.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Game 1 Final: Florida Tech 4, Valdosta St. 8
Game 2 Final: Florida Tech 5, Valdosta St. 1 (7 inn.)
Records: Florida Tech (3-4, 0-0 SSC), Valdosta St. (3-1, 0-0 GSC)
Location: Billy Grant Field | Valdosta, Ga.
 
STATS OF GAME 1:

• Jason Blackstone would lead off the top of the first inning with a seven-pitch walk and two batters later advance to third on a single by Tate Hansen. Camden Colman would slap a two-out single into center field to plate Blackstone and give Tech an early 1-0 lead.
• VSU would answer in the bottom half of the frame with a three-hit inning to score two runs and take a 2-1 lead.
• Austin Sewell roped a one-out double into right field in the top of the second, but the next two Panthers would be retired to keep the game at 2-1.
• After a scoreless third inning, the Panthers threatened again in the top of the fourth. Marshall Burke led off the inning by reaching first safely on an error.
• Roman Samson would follow up with a double off the right field fence in the next at-bat to advance the runner, but a strong relay by the Blazers would cut M. Burke down at the plate to hold the score at 2-1.
• In the top of the fifth, Jack Matousek reached first after he was hit by a pitch. After a two-out walk by Noah Burke, Colman would come up with a clutch two-out RBI single to score Matousek and tie the game at 2-2.
• VSU would again answer right back in the bottom half of the inning. A two-run home run by Pedro Moreno gave the Blazers a 4-2 lead. Ridge Skarbek would take the mound in relief for Tech and induce a fielder's choice and a fly ball to get out of the inning.
• Sewell would reach first safely for the Panthers with one out in the top of the sixth inning. Gabe Garrett doubled to right center and Blackstone worked a walk to get the bases loaded.
• In the next at-bat, Matousek would send a rope toward the first basemen, who would knock it down and record the out at first base, but Sewell would cross the plate to make it a 4-3 game.
• Skarbek would retire the Blazers in order in the bottom of the sixth. In the top of the seventh, the first two runners would reach for the Panthers, but VSU would work out of the jam to keep the game at 4-3.
• The Blazers would tack on four runs in the bottom of the eighth to extend their lead out to 8-3.
• Tech tried to claw back in the final frame of the contest. Roman Samson was able to plate a run with a sacrifice fly, but that was all the Panthers could muster and the game ended with a score of 8-4.

 
STATS OF GAME 2:

• Blackstone led off game two with a walk in the top of the first. Matousek followed with a walk of his own, and Hansen singled home Blackstone to give Tech the 1-0 advantage in the first with no outs.
• After the next two Panthers were retired, M. Burke smoked a two-out RBI single to left field to plate Matousek and give Tech a 2-0 lead.
• After Dylan Dieguez worked a scoreless bottom half of the first inning for the Panthers, an infield single for Matousek would plate Gabe Garrett to extend the lead out to 3-0.
• VSU would get one run back in the bottom of the second on an RBI single.
• Hansen would unload on the first pitch he saw in the top of the third and give Tech a 4-1 lead with a solo home run to left center.
• N. Burke and Colman would follow up with back-to-back singles and M. Burke would draw a walk to load the bases with no outs. However, Jude Ard would take the mound for the Blazers and strike out the side to keep the Panthers at bay.
• After a scoreless fourth inning, Roman Samson would belt a one-out solo home run to left field to make it a 5-1 game in favor of Tech in the top of the fifth.
• Neither team would get a runner past first in the sixth inning and the Panthers would take the 5-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh.
• Noah Steckley would take the mound for the Panthers and retire the Blazers in order in the bottom of the seventh to give Tech the victory.

 
NOTABLE PANTHERS:

• Dylan Dieguez turned in an impressive performance in game two, after he tossed 4.2 innings, with one unearned run allowed, two strikeouts, and just two walks.
• Tate Hansen finished the day 3-for-9 with a home run, two RBIs, and one run scored.
• Jack Matousek went 2-for-6 at the plate with two RBIs, two runs scored, and two walks.
• Camden Colman finished 3-for-9 with two RBIs and two runs scored.

 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• Florida Tech moves to 10-15-1 all-time against the Blazers, including a 5-9 record in Valdosta.
• Roman Samson now leads the team with two home runs and has recorded at least one hit through his first five games this season.
• Jack Matousek reached base safely in all four plate appearances in game two.

 
UP NEXT: Florida Tech will return to the Sunshine State and take on Flagler at home on Tuesday, Feb. 13. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Andy Seminick-Les Hall Field in Melbourne, Fla.
 
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