Valdosta, Ga. -- After falling in the opener, 8-0, the Hawks came back and won the finale, 3-1, to take the Gulf South Conference series over No. 17 Valdosta State Saturday afternoon and conclude their seven game Spring Break road trip with a 4-3 record.

Game one was all VSU, as the Blazers (18-7-1, 8-7 GSC) took the lead in the first inning on a 2RBI triple by Hayley Cruthers, and from there tacked on six more runs to take the opener 8-0 in six innings.

Shorter (14-9, 9-6 GSC) was held to just two hits on the day, singles in the 1^st and 3^rd by Niki Cook and Kendall Johnson, respectively. In addition to the hits, the Hawks only managed three other baserunners as Sierra Cagle and Kameron Carter reached on walks and Taylor Martin was hit by a pitch.

Johnson gave the Hawks the lead in game two in the first inning with her first homerun of the season to left field that brought in Cook to make it a 2-0 game. Cruthers, answered for the Blazers in the second to cut the lead in half with a solo homer of her own. The score stood until the sixth when Shorter tack on some insurance as Carter doubled down the left field line to plate Johnson. Valdosta threatened in their final at bat – loading the bases on an error, a hit, and walk, respectively – but Payton Lippert preserved the lead and the win as she got pinch hitter, Falisia Murphy, to fly out to end the game.

Lippert earned the win, her second of the series; allowing one run on two hits with two walks and four strikeouts through a complete game performance.

Johnson finished with two hits and two RBI on the day, while Carter posted a hit and an RBI.

Shorter will be back in action Wednesday, March 16, as they welcome Young Harris to Alto Park in the rescheduled game from a rain out earlier in the season. Game times in the doubleheader are set for 3:00pm and 5:0pm.