ATLANTA, Ga. - GeorgiaState (6-6) swept Georgia Southern softball (6-7) in Wednesday's doubleheader at Bob Heck Field. Early inning runs proved costly in game one as the Eagles fell 2-0. Georgia Southern dropped game two 11-6.
"After last weekend's tournament, we did a lot of talking about what we need to improve on; and we felt that we acomplished that in game one," said Johnson. "In the second game we felt like we fell back into those inconsistencies that we showed over the weekend."
Nina Iduate(Norcross, Ga.) reached base in the first inning of both games and went four for seven with a RBI.
Megen Smith(Springfield, Ga.) went four for seven with two RBIs at the plate and pitched four-plus innings in her 2009 debut.
"She (Smith) hit well today," said head coach Maggie Johnson. "She also threw well for a couple of innings but started to get hit. She needs a few more innings under her belt."
The Eagles set a new season high with 16 hits in game two.
Game One
First inning runs proved costly as the Eagles fell 2-0 to GeorgiaState. GeorgiaState scored the game's only runs in the first inning as both pitchers settled into a groove and put zeros on the board.
GeorgiaState took an early two-run lead in the bottom half of the first inning scoring the only runs of the game. Rebecca Roles loaded the bases with a two-out single, and Rachel Cunningham drove in two runs with a single to center field.
Brianna Streetmon(Winder, Ga.) pitched six innings and allowed two runs on seven hits. Streetmon shutdown the Panthers from the second inning on, giving the Eagles an opportunity to get back in the game.
Sam Russo(Snellville, Ga.) doubled to center with one out in the fifth but was left stranded after two straight outs were recorded to end the inning.
Madi Gore pitched a four-hit complete game shutout to earn the win in game one.
With an infield single in the third, Jordyn Nail(Swainsboro, Ga.) picked up her third hit of the season and one of the Eagles' four of the game.
Smith made her 2009 debut in game one of Tuesday's doubleheader. She picked up her first hit of the season with a single in the fifth inning.
Game Two
Two four-run innings proved costly in game two as Georgia State defeated Georgia Southern 11-6 to complete the sweep.
The Eagles out-hit the Panthers 16-10 but committed four errors in the second game. The 16 hits are a season high for Georgia Southern surpassing the previous high of 15 which came in the 11-8 win Sunday over Oakland. Smith, Russo, Iduate and Mackenzie Williams all had three hits in game two.
Russo had another stellar day at the plate going three for four with a RBI.
GeorgiaState broke open a 5-5 tie in the bottom of the fifth with their second four-run inning of the game. Rachel Cunningham drove in three runs with her first home run of the season.
The Panthers scored four runs in the bottom of the second to take an early 4-1 lead. Lauren Jones hit a three RBI home run over the left field fence for the first three runs of the inning.
The Eagles manufactured an early run in the first inning. Iduate singled to lead off the game and came around to score on Amanda Hall's (Haddock, Ga.) one-out double.
Iduate went three for four with a RBI and two runs scored.
"She (Iduate) has been solid and found a way to get on base all day," said Johnson. "She was really smart at the plate and hit the ball well."
Georgia Southern and GeorgiaState traded runs in the third. Iduate and Hanna Ennis(Snellville, Ga.) led off the inning with back-to-back hits, and Iduate scored on a Megen Smith double to right.
The Eagles cut the lead to one run in the fourth. Mackenzie Williams(Baxley, Ga.) led off with a walk, advanced to third on Russo's infield single and came around to score the first run of the inning on Stephanie Peet's (Lawrenceville, Ga.) ground out. Iduate drove in Russo with a RBI single to center.
Williams, who came into the game with one hit on the year, went three for four with a double in the seventh start of her career.
Georgia Southern briefly tied the game in the top of the fifth when Smith doubled with one out and scored on Russo's single.
Lauren Jones plated two more runs in the sixth with a RBI single for the Panthers.
The Eagles led off the seventh inning with three straight hits. Smith's RBI single plated Hall, and Georgia Southern threatened to score more with runners on second and third; but Erin Collins coaxed Russo to foul out and end the game.
Softball returns home Tuesday to face Jacksonville in a doubleheader at Eagle Field. First pitch is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
