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Published May 11, 2009 11:15 pm - It’s that point in time when local sports are winding down and a long, boring summer is in front of us.
That’s why it’s time for one last hurrah.


Local teams make a postseason push


By Adam MacDonald
The Valdosta Daily Times

VALDOSTA — It’s that point in time when local sports are winding down and a long, boring summer is in front of us.

That’s why it’s time for one last hurrah.

A few local teams are still hard at work trying to bring a championship home to TitleTown, USA.

Valdosta State has three teams in the race for national championships — women’s tennis, softball and baseball.

After winning the South Region by beating West Florida on Saturday, the Lady Blazers’ tennis team travels this week to Orlando, Fla., for the NCAA championships. They are one of 16 teams remaining in Division II and will play Lynn on Wednesday.

The Lady Blazers’ softball team is also one of 16 teams remaining in Division II. They are headed to Huntsville, Ala., to take on the Alabama-Huntsville Lady Chargers in the South Region championship on Friday at 1:30 p.m. It’s a best 2-out-of-3 series. This is the furthest VSU (57-6) has made it since 2002 when it lost to Barry in the South Region championship. If the Lady Blazers can win the series against UAH they will advance to the eight-team national championship tournament for the first time in school history.

The VSU baseball team has advanced to its first South Region tournament since 2002. The Blazers (41-19) reached the 40-win mark for the first time since 2002, but they almost saw their season come to an end last week. The Blazers figured they needed at least three wins in the double elimination Gulf South Conference tournament last week. However, they lost the first game of the tournament to Southern Arkansas and were faced with winning three games in three days or packing their bags for the offseason.

After cruising past Ouachita Baptist 16-1 in the first of the three must-win games, the Blazers ran into trouble. They blew a seven run lead to Harding but came back to win 9-8 on a home run by Chase Blackwood in the top of the 10th. Then they overcame a two-run deficit with three runs in the seventh inning to beat West Florida, 7-6, in the third and final must-win game.

The Blazers lost again to Southern Arkansas in the GSC championship game, but the mission of getting into the South Region was accomplished.

They will play Barry on Thursday in Magnolia, Ark., in the first round of the South Region. The winner of the eight-team South Region will advance to the College World Series.

While Valdosta State is having a spring sports season to remember, so are some local prep teams.

The Lowndes Vikings’ baseball team got off to a dreadful 1-7 start this season and took a back seat to the Valdosta Wildcats who held down first place in region 1-AAAAA for most of the season.

However, the Vikings caught fire in the middle of the season. They have won 12-of-15, including a 13-7 drubbing of the Wildcats at Bazemore Field which helped them claim the 1-AAAAA championship.

Lowndes cruised to a 12-0 win and a 7-1 against Newton in the first round of the state playoffs and will play a double header at home starting at 5 p.m. Wednesday against Chapel Hill in the second round.

A baseball team to the north of Valdosta that beat the Vikings twice might have the best chance to bring home a title. But it won’t be to Valdosta. It’ll be to Adel.



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