VALDOSTA — Pitching and defense in Game 1 and contributions up and down Valdosta State’s lineup in Game 2 added up to a Saturday sweep of Union at Steel’s Diamond 5-0, 10-2.

“We played really well today,” VSU head coach Thomas Macera said after the game. “We went down in the second game, but we had to fight back there. We beat them up late in the game, but early in the game, we were actually down.

“There’s some pressure there, and the good thing is, I don’t want everything handed to us, and neither do the girls.”

Valdosta State (23-6, 12-2 Gulf South Conference) shut out Union (14-12, 4-10) in the early game of the doubleheader, and in the second game the Blazers simply hammered the Bulldogs to earn a run rule-shortened victory.

After a scoreless first inning, Valdosta State and Union took turns jostling for an advantage for a few frames early in Game 2.

The Bulldogs scored their first run of the doubleheader in the top of the second inning when Gabby Morris launched a home run to right-center field off starter Kathryn Carter.

Barely blinking, the Blazers got the run back in the bottom half of the inning, manufacturing a run beginning with Hayley Cruthers’ lead-off single. Brandy Morgan followed with a single, and Tana McDaniel moved both up a base with a bunt. One batter later, Haley Fowler drove Cruthers in with a base hit.

Union played some small-ball of its own in the top of the third, using a walk, a bunt and two singles to push across a run and recapture the lead.

Once again, Valdosta State responded immediately, albeit with a little help from a Union miscue. With two outs and a runner on first base, Cruthers hit a fly ball to right field, and the Bulldogs outfielder couldn’t corral it, allowing Taylor Hartenbach to score from first.

Kasie Johnson relieved Carter in the top of the fourth, and after a lead-off walk, she recorded a clean inning to give the Blazers an opportunity to take their first lead of the game.

VSU’s offense did not disappoint.

Morgan led off the bottom of the fourth with a single to left field and stole second before VSU received some more assistance from Union when Bulldog starter Morris plunked McDaniel.

It looked as if Union may get out of the inning before any damage occurred after a sacrifice bunt and a ground ball left Valdosta State down to its final out of the inning, but Tara McIntyre drove in both baserunners to give VSU a 4-2 lead.

The next batter, Jessica Mohl, drove in McIntyre, and after two more Blazer batters were hit by errant pitches, Cruthers singled to right to drive in two more runs and push the Blazers’ lead to five.

Valdosta State got back to work in the bottom of the sixth. Mohl doubled and Chelsea Canara walked as the first two batters of the inning reached. One batter later, Cruthers drove in her third RBI of the game — pushing her season total to an Division II-leading 41 — on a single to left field. Morgan followed with an RBI double, and McDaniel laid down a suicide squeeze to score Cruthers and end the game.

“The pitchers were a little off, and we gave up some runs, but we hit,” Macera said. “At some points you think, when you’re seeing similar pitchers, you hopefully can get on the pitcher, and we finally did.

“We ran the bases really well too. Every opportunity we had, we were able to do something with it.”

Valdosta State cruised to a 5-0 victory in Game 1 behind starter Avery Lamb’s complete game gem on the mound. Lamb held Union to three hits over seven innings, striking out six with just one walk.

The Bulldogs were limited to one baserunner — a second-inning walk — over the first three innings against Lamb before recording their first hit to lead off the fourth. Lamb promptly retired the side, the last two via strikeout.

“Avery pitched a really good game today,” Macera said. “She’s been struggling here lately, she’s been injured, and she comes out and pitches a shut out. It’s the first shut out she’s pitched in probably a month.

“Early in the season, she was doing really well, so it’s good to see her come out here and be able to do that. If you look at their lineup, they’ve got several kids hitting over .400. She did a great job.”

The Blazers made sure Lamb had the luxury of working with a lead as early as they could, beginning with Canara’s two-run shot following Mohl’s lead-off walk. VSU added runs in the third, fifth and sixth innings of the win.

Canara is in the midsts of a career season in her final year as a Blazer. She entered Saturday’s doubleheader batting .440 and slugging .769 — well above her previous high’s of .360/.506. Her Game 1 home run was her seventh of the season, surpassing her new career-high of six in 29 fewer games, and she’s on pace to fly past her previous high watermarks in doubles (12 currently; 16 high), RBIs (35; 37), runs (36; 42) and hits (41; 59).

Canara will look to continue swinging a hot bat today when Valdosta State concludes its three-game series against Union. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Derrick Davis is the sports editor at the Valdosta Daily Times.