Eagles Split Softball Doubleheader at Georgia State
4/11/2013 12:58:23 AM | Softball
BOX SCORE (GAME ONE) // BOX SCORE (GAME TWO)
PANTHERSVILLE, GA. – Georgia Southern Softball responded from a first-game goose egg to take a 5-4 win in game two of a doubleheader against rival Georgia State. It was the fourth-straight doubleheader split for the teams.
The Panthers took the opening game 8-0 in six innings, but it was a four-run seventh for the Eagles in game two that snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. The Eagles are now 20-23 on the season while Georgia State is 25-15 on the season.
“Getting that win in game two was big for our team,” said Head Coach Annie Smith. “We didn’t hit very well in game one, so for us to come back and get 11 hits in game two is a good thing.”
– GAME ONE –
Georgia State took the opening game behind a perfect game performance from Kaitlyn Medlam, 8-0. She struck out five Eagles and retired all 18 batters faced in order.
The Panthers got a run in the second inning and added four more in the third with all runs charged against starting pitcher Brooke Red. Allie Miles faced three batters and didn’t get an out in the third before Marla Thompson got the call.
Thompson struck out her first five-straight batters after entering the game with eight total strikeouts this season. One run came in during the fifth inning and two more scored in the sixth as the Panthers tallied 13 hits to beat the Eagles in the opener.
- GAME TWO –
A four-run seventh inning was the difference in game two as the Eagles earned a split in the doubleheader for the fourth-straight season. The Eagles were down to their final out before the tying and go-ahead runs scored on a strange play. Kaitlyn Johnson singled to second base, beating the throw, but a muffed throw by the Georgia State first baseman allowed the go-ahead run to score and give the Eagles a 5-4 win.
Johnson went 2-for-4 in game two
The Eagles were first to score in game two with a single run in the second inning. Johnson’s double sent the leadoff hitter, Tabby Douberley, in to score after the senior was hit by a pitch to start the inning.
Georgia State was held hitless through the first two innings and got their breakthrough run in the fourth inning which an RBI double by Jordan Brown made the score 1-1. The next batter, MeQuilla Franklin hit a home run to right field which gave the Panthers a 3-1 lead.
Brown struck again in the sixth inning with a solo home run down the line down the line in left to make the score 4-1.
With the Eagles down to their final three outs, Georgia Southern mounted a rally to take a 5-4 lead. Three-straight hits to start the seventh inning by the top of the order scored the first run of the frame. Tabby Douberley’s sacrifice fly to centerfield plated the second run and made it a 4-3 game with runners on first and second. The runners advanced on an infield ground out and scored on an infield single by Johnson. An error by the first baseman allowed the go-ahead run to score when she dropped the throw which was not in time to get Johnson.
Allie Miles quelled the Panther threat in the seventh as the hosts went quietly an the Eagles took the 5-4 win to split the doubleheader. Miles earned her fifth win of the season in relief of Sarah Purvis. Purvis fanned six in five innings, but Miles did not allow a hit in her two full innings of work.
The Eagles are back at home this weekend for three games against the Samford Bulldogs. Saturday’s doubleheader starts at 3:30 p.m. and is Fan Appreciation Day with free Chick-fil-A sandwiches for fans. Sunday’s game is Alumni Day with former softball student-athletes being honored before the 1 p.m. game
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