STATESBORO, Ga. ? Eight different Georgia Southern hitters recorded a multi-hit game in support of Jake Brown's (Forest Hill, Md./Pitt CC) start as the Eagles handed Davidson a 20-8 Southern Conference defeat on Saturday afternoon (April 18) at J.I. Clements Stadium. The 27th-ranked Eagles improved to 27-9 overall and 11-4 in the SoCon.

The Eagles wasted no time getting on the scoreboard in the first. Ty Wright (Montrose/ABAC) and Kevin Bowles (Statesboro/Statesboro) singled then Griffin Benedict (Dunwoody/St. Pius) walked to load the bases. Eric Phillips (Carrollton/Carrollton) singled home a run. Another scored on a wild pitch by Chris Lamb. Brian Pierce (Roswell/Roswell) just missed on a grand slam, hitting a 3-run double off the right field fence. Jonathan King (Athens, TN/Young Harris) lined a RBI double then Wright followed with a RBI single and 7-0 lead.

Will Southwell (Moultrie/Colquitt County) delivered a RBI single in the second. The Eagles scored three runs each in the fifth through eighth inning to put the game away. During its final four at-bats, GS sent at least seven batters to the plate.

Wright lined a 2-run single in the fifth then three batters later Phillips hit a RBI double. King ripped a 2-run double in the sixth then Wright brought home another run on a groundout.

In the seventh Phillip Porter (Marietta/Sprayberry) hit his team-leading seventh home run to start the frame. Later pinch-hitter Vince Smith (Kingsland/Camden County) lined a 2-run single. In the eighth, Kyle Blackburn (Marietta/Walton) hit a 2-run homer, his first round-tripper since the season-opener. Smith ripped a RBI double to match his season-high of three RBI.

Brown (3-3) gave up just one run on six hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out a season-high nine. The nine Ks are also a team season-high, a total matched by teammate Chris Mederos in the series-opener.

Davidson (13-19, 8-9) scored seven times in the eighth inning, but like he did Friday night Charles Matthews (Athens/Spartanburg Methodist) finished off the Wildcats going the final 1.2 innings to close out the win.

“Jake did a great job today, he was effective throwing strikes and we were able to get on Davidson early,” said Pierce. “We were able again to have success at the bottom of the order, which has to be demoralizing for a pitcher, then have someone like Ty who is swinging the bat well coming up at the top of the line-up.”

Piece matched a season-high of three hits, and matched career-highs of three runs scored and two doubles. For the third time this season the senior shortstop drove in three runs.

Wright kept his hot bat going, 3-for-5 at the plate while matching a season-high of four RBI. Benedict extended his hitting streak to 15 games. King set a career-high with three RBI and matched his high of three hits. Bowles, Phillips, Smith, Southwell and Roman Grimaldi (Duluth/North Florida CC) had two hits apiece.

For the fourth time this year GS recorded 20 hits, and for the sixth time scored 20 or more runs.

Lamb (1-3) did not make it out of the first inning, charged for seven runs on six hits in two-thirds of an inning. Drew Gadaire hit a 3-run homer as part of the seven-run eighth inning. Five Wildcats had two hits apiece.

Georgia Southern goes for the series sweep on Sunday afternoon, first pitch scheduled for 1:30 p.m.