Sports

Lady Rams give VSU a scare

Christian Malone
Valdosta Daily Times

VALDOSTA— Albany State’s softball team nearly shocked Valdosta State on its Senior Night Wednesday.

The Lady Rams took a 3-0 lead on the No. 12 team in the nation Wednesday, behind masterful pitching from ace Mindy Mager and a three-run homer by Ta’Shelya Bynum. But Valdosta State rallied for four late runs, and escaped with a 4-3 win.

“(Albany State) is not bad. They’ve gotten a lot better,” Valdosta State head coach Thomas Macera said. “They played well.”

For five innings, Albany State pitcher Mindy Mager shut down one of Division II’s best hitting teams. She held the Lady Blazers, who have a .329 team batting average, to just three hits over the first five innings.

“Their No. 1 pitcher (Mager) has beaten some good teams,” Macera said. “She’s beaten West Georgia, beaten North Georgia. She’s a good pitcher.”

Valdosta State pitcher Kristen Lindsey, pitching her final home game, had been perfect for the first three innings. But in the fourth, she made a mistake — and Albany State’s Ta’Shelya Bynum made her pay.

After Mager and Allyssa Spellman singled, Bynum worked a full count from VSU’s ace, then drilled a fastball over the fence in center field for a three-run homer, giving the Lady Rams (30-22) a 3-0 lead.

Valdosta State got a run back in the bottom of the fourth. Kristina Ely led off the inning with an infield single, then Shannon Cleland reached on an error. Both runners were sacrificed over by Kelsey Case, then Stephanie Owen’s ground ball to second scored Ely to make it 3-1.

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