#GSCBASE Championship Recap: Day 1
OXFORD, Ala. — The 2022 Gulf South Conference Baseball Championship began Friday at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Ala. Alabama Huntsville down Montevallo, 5-4, Valdosta State won a 13-12 thriller over West Florida, Lee defeated Auburn Montgomery, 9-1, and Delta State rolled past Shorter, 13-0.
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
As a result, elimination games will feature Montevallo versus West Florida and AUM against Shorter. The winner’s bracket meanwhile has UAH facing Valdosta State and Lee against Delta State.
Alabama Huntsville 5, Montevallo 3
The Falcons opened the scoring with a solo home run in the first, but the lead was short-lived as the Chargers tied the game with a sac fly in the second. From there it was a scoreless pitching duel through the next four innings.
UAH broke the deadlock in the seventh with a solo home run to make it 2-1. The Charger offense continued to click in the eighth as they pushed three runs across on four hits. Montevallo answered in the home half with a two-run shot, trimming the deficit to 5-3, but the effort fell short as the Falcons were retired in order in the ninth.
Valdosta State 13, West Florida 12
The Blazers outlasted the Argonauts in an 11-inning affair on Friday, which saw Jisjar Clotida lift VSU with a three-run pinch-hit home run.
Valdosta State led 4-2 after six. Then in the seventh, the UWF offense exploded for a seven-run inning on six hits pushing the score to 9-4. VSU however responded with as six-run frame in the home half. The Argos then pulled level in the ninth with a Tyler Dowdy lead-off home run to make it 10-all.
The Blazers were held hitless in the ninth, giving way to extra innings. VSU threatened to end the game in the 10th but were unable to capitalize with the bases loaded. In the 11th, Dean Hotz drove two with a single to nudge UWF to a 12-10 lead. It would not be enough however as Clotida registered the walk-off blast.
Lee 9, Auburn Montgomery 1
The Flames were led by a youth movement on Friday as GSC Freshman of the Year Jack Nedrow tossed 12 strikeouts in 7.1 innings, while classmate Cam Suto was 2-for-5 with six RBI.
Lee opened the scoring in the first before AUM tied it in the home half of the second. In the third, Suto mashed a three-run home run giving, the Flames a 4-1 advantage. Suto had another three-run shot in the eighth pushing the score to 8-1. Thomas Zazzaro rounded out the scoring as he touched home in the eighth and again in the ninth.
Delta State 13, Shorter 0
The Statesmen jumped out to an early 5-0 lead as Blakye Dendy registered a grand slam in the first, en route to finishing with eight RBI. From there Delta State never looked back as Harrison Haley retired seven of the next nine batters. The advantage grew to 9-0 in the fifth, before eclipsed double-digits with four more runs in the sixth.