Americus, Ga. -- The Hawks evened their record to 2-2 on the year with a 9-5 win over Georgia Southwestern Wednesday evening.

George Ragsdale got things going for Shorter in the first inning with an RBI single to plate Dylan Riner. The Hurricanes answered in the bottom of the inning, however, to take a 4-1 lead. But, the Hawks bounced back in the second to tie the game. Patrick Sanderson notched his second homer of the season to start things off, Dustin Lawson then scored on a passed ball, and Ragsdale plated Brian Cabrera on an RBI single.

Shorter added three runs in the fourth as Cabrera, Zach Santos, and Bryan Mathews each recorded an RBI. And, in the seventh, Blaze Vazquez came in on a sacrifice fly from Sanderson, and Riner scored on a single from Cabrera to round out the scoring for the Hawks. Georgia Southwestern plated a run in the eighth for the 9-5 final score.

Justin Machado recorded the win for Shorter; pitching five innings, while allowing four runs – three earned – on five hits with two strikeouts and three walks.

In total the Hawks posted 16 hits on the night, with Riner, Cabrera, and Mathews each recording three hits. Cabrera, Ragsdale, and Sanderson each posted two RBI in the game.

Shorter will look to keep the momentum going as Valdosta State visits the Robert H. Ledbetter Baseball Complex for a weekend series. Saturday's doubleheader is set to begin at 12pm, with Sunday's final scheduled for 1pm.