Lee batters pounded out 11 hits, including six that went for extra bases, and Wes Albert gave the Flames a second straight weekend start in a convincing 10-0 (run-rule) victory over Valdosta State University on Friday afternoon.
The Flames erupted for four runs in the first inning and stretched the margin to 6-0 after the second frame. They tacked on three more insurance runs in the fourth inning and then added a solo score in the fifth.
In the meantime, Albert (3-2) was hurling 6.1 innings of outstanding baseball.
The senior right-hander gave up only three hits while striking out five. He did issue five walks, including a pair in the seventh inning before Jay Pryor came on to retire the final two Blazer hitters.
“We really came out ready to play today. Our at bats overall were really impressive and we hit a lot of hard balls throughout the lineup. We played with a lot of aggressiveness overall and Wes pitched really well,” commented Lee head coach Mark Brew after his club improved to 17-15 overall and more importantly 10-6 in Gulf South Conference play.
In the first inning Peyton Meeker picked up the first of his three RBI on the day with a sacrifice fly that scored Tyler Payne. Ryan Bemish singled to drive home Miguel Pimentel and Jordan Howard. Dalton Ney’s one-base hit plated Chase Gadau.
Lee countered with two more runs in the second. Pimentel doubled to drive home Howard and Payne. In the fourth, Meeker got into the act again with a one-base knock that again scored Howard and Payne. The final run in the fourth came when Gadau’s sac fly pushed Pimentel across the dish. The Flames capped off the big afternoon in the fifth when Howard picked up a single that scored Ney.
Howard was a perfect 3-for-3 with a double and triple. He tallied three runs and picked up a RBI. Pimentel added two hits, including a double. He scored twice and knocked in a pair of runs. Meeker finished with a triple and three RBI. Payne picked up a double and a single and tallied three runs.
Hunter Jones was the starting and losing pitcher for the Blazers. He worked only 0.2 of an inning and was followed by three other Valdosta hurlers. Kendall Herron had three hits in the loss while Nick Koslowski picked up the Blazers’ only other safety.
“We need to come out with that same intensity tomorrow. We are playing well in all three phases of the game. We have another big opportunity in front of us and we need to be ready to compete and seize it,” concluded coach Brew. The two GSC rivals will tangle again on Saturday afternoon in a twinbill scheduled for 1 p.m. first pitch.