Eagles Strike for Two Unanswered Runs to Take Series Opener
3/23/2013 1:04:36 AM | Baseball
Box Score | Video: Post Game with Coach Hennon
STATESBORO, Ga. - Chase Griffin drove in a run in the fifth inning and Justin Hess threw 2.2 shut out innings to secure a 6-4 Georgia Southern win over the visiting Davidson Wildcats to open a three-game Southern Conference series.
Georgia Southern (14-7, 6-1) got 6.1 solid innings from starter Sam Howard, who left the game with a one-run lead. Howard (4-2) earned the win after allowing four runs on six hits and striking out seven. Hess (3) held Davidson (8-12, 4-6) hitless over his 2.2 innings and struck out four to earn the save. The senior righthander also left a pair of runners stranded in scoring position in the seventh inning.
“We did just enough to win the game tonight. We were very fortunate to win. Davidson did not make any mistakes, and we kind of hurt ourselves tonight with a couple of two-out walks,” Head Coach Rodney Hennon said.
Ryan Lowe (2-3) took the loss after surrendering five runs over 6.1 innings. Lowe allowed five hits and two walks while striking out seven batters.
Davidson took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning on a two-out home run by Andrew Barna before GSU responded with four runs in the third inning. The first three Eagle hitters all reached base without the benefit of a walk and all three scored on back-to-back sacrifice flies from Ben Morgan and Chase Griffin and a home run from T.D. Davis.
The Wildcats tied the contest in the fifth inning after scoring two more two-out runs. Sam Foy provided the big hit, a double down the left field line, to plate Chris Dyer and Andrew Pope. Georgia Southern retook the lead in the bottom half of the inning after Scooter Williams scored on a base hit from Chase Griffin.
The Eagles added an insurance run in the eighth inning to extend their lead to two runs. Robbie Dodds drew a two-out walk and scored on a double from Stryker Brown. Brown, who pinched hit for Arthur Owens in the sixth inning, recorded two hits in two at-bats.
“He [Stryker] had a couple good at-bats for us tonight off the bench,” Hennon said. “That is the one thing about this team, guys just picking each other up. Different guys on different days.”
The three-game series against Davidson continues tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. Freshman lefthander Jason Richman will take the mound against the Wildcats' Danny Mooney.
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