By: Austin Sellars, Staff Writer

VALDOSTA, Ga. – The VSU men’s baseball team took a road trip to Florida this weekend for three games: Friday at Nova Southeastern in Fort Lauderdale, Saturday at Palm Beach Atlantic in West Palm, and Sunday at Barry in Miami Shores. 

They ultimately went 1-2 on the weekend, starting in Fort Lauderdale against NSU.  

VSU Junior Garrett Moody got the start for the Blazers and delivered an impressive performance, tossing 88 pitches over five innings and recording 10 Ks while yielding only four runs on four hits. Junior Cam Habada took over in relief and threw two outstanding innings, allowing only one hit and striking out three of the seven batters he faced.  

VSU out-hit NSU 11-6 throughout the game, led by Junior Charlie Banks, who collected a trio of hits, including a double and an RBI single. Junior Ryan Strachan and Senior Brent Howard brought home two more runs for the Blazers with sacrifice flyouts.  

For NSU, despite being out-hit by the red and black, baserunning was the game-changer. NSU’s Dakota Jones scored the walk-off winning run, finishing the season opener for the Blazers.  

VSU then traveled to West Palm Beach on Saturday to play PBA. 

Senior starting pitcher Drake LaRoche pitched a strong five innings, giving up only three runs, with no walks and three strikeouts.  

PBA Junior Nolan Smoot was pulled after giving up five runs in just three innings, and the Blazers’ bats ripped through three more PBA relievers, forcing the pitching staff to throw 192 pitches.  

This game was very offensive for the Blazers, with junior Matt Keller posting three singles and one walk. Junior Isiah Pou sent a solo blast and a double, racking up two RBIs. Junior Charlie Banks finished with a homer, a single, and a walk. Senior Brent Howard totaled two doubles, two RBIs, and three walks. Junior Jason Mack had two doubles and two RBIs. Lastly, Senior Easton Hood had a triple, an RBI, and a walk.  

The Blazers walked away with the win in a 15-12 scoreline.  

Lastly, VSU traveled to Miami Shores to face Barry. VSU redshirt freshman Ty Macera made his first appearance for the Blazers, allowing three runs and just one hit over two innings.  

The Buccaneers blew the top off the game in the third inning, scoring ten points in that frame.  

VSU responded with two runs in both the fourth and fifth innings, but couldn’t get anything going with their bats over the final four frames.  

Banks remained a force at the plate for the Blazers this weekend, tallying eight hits, five RBIs, and a homer for the red and black. Strachan finished 2-5 with two doubles, while Hood, Mack, and Keller each recorded a single in this contest.  

VSU put the bat on the ball nine times and put 15 runners in scoring position, but converted only two of those runs. This ultimately became the deciding factor in this game.  

The Blazers will return to the diamond on Tues, Feb. 3rd, as they travel to Lakeland, Fla., to take on Florida Southern. The first pitch is set for 5 p.m.