AMERICUS - Trailing 5-1 heading into the eighth inning, the Georgia Southwestern baseball team rallied to score three runs, but could get no closer and lost, 5-4, to Valdosta State on Wednesday evening at Hurricane Stadium.
Bobby Triglia hit his fourth home run of the season in the top of the first inning to score Chaz Bagwell, who had reached via a bunt, to give VSU a lead it would not relinquish.
The Blazers (2-5) upped their lead to 3-0 in the third when Triglia walked and moved to second on a one-out ground out by Josh Vining. Christian Glisson followed with a line drive hit to left-center that plated Triglia for the run.
Marc Overstreet singled and eventually scored on an Aaron Kicklighter ground out in fourth inning before GSW (3-6) struck for a single run in the bottom of the fifth inning behind an Andrew Anderson double and a Paschel Poston triple to cut the Valdosta State lead to 4-1.
Overstreet closed out the Blazer scoring in the sixth inning as he led off the frame with a triple and scored when Cameron Graves hit an RBI single up the middle.
The Hurricanes closed to within a single run with three runs in the eighth inning. All three runs scored after two outs.
Anderson started the inning with a single, after two GSW outs, John Duran singled, Beau Parker walked, Jared Allen walked and Michel Coffey drove in two with a single.
VSU closer Brett Kennedy, who relieved with the bases loaded, retired all three batters in the ninth.
Coffey led GSW at the plate with a 4-for-5 night. Poston and Anderson had two hits apiece as the Hurricanes outhit VSU, 11-10. Starter Cameron Blinn (0-1) surrendered four runs in 3 1/3 innings to take the loss in his first start of 2011. Brandon Vazquez allowed a run in 3 2/3 innings and Corey Hawes pitched two scoreless innings.
Overstreet and Graves tallied two hits each in the game for the Blazers. Stephen Groves picked up the victory, improving to 1-0 on the season, while Kennedy earned his first save of the year.
Southwestern hosts Saint Leo on Saturday in a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.