Box Score | Press Conference | Highlights

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Stryker Brown hit a two-run home run and six Georgia Southern pitchers combined to allow just one run as the fourth-seeded Eagles downed No. 5 seed Appalachian State 2-1 on Friday in an elimination game at the Southern Conference Baseball Championship at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park.
 
GSU (36-21) advances to face No. 8 seed Furman (26-31) in the semifinals on Saturday at 10 a.m. The Eagles must beat the Paladins twice to advance to Sunday's single-elimination championship game.

"This was a heck of a baseball game. It was a battle on both sides," Head Coach Rodney Hennon said. "Both teams got great pitching."
 
Appalachian State sees its season end at 21-34.

"We've had five really tough games with Appalachian State this year and my hat's off to those kids. They played hard and left it all on the field, and we're really fortunate to come out on top," Hennon said.
 
All of the game's scoring came in the fourth inning. GSU's Aaron Mizell led off the top of the fourth with a single through the right side, and Brown followed by sending Dallas DeVrieze's 1-1 offering out down the right-field line. DeVrieze retired the next three batters in order to limit the damage.
 
The Mountaineers got one of those runs back in the bottom half of the frame to cut their deficit in half. Tyler Zupcic and Dillon Dobson led off with consecutive singles off of Eric Alonzo, GSU's third pitcher of the afternoon, before a sacrifice moved both runners over. Alex Leach then lifted a sacrifice fly to left to score Zupcic, making it a 2-1 game. Alonzo struck out Matt Brill on three pitches to end the inning.
 
GSU's bullpen allowed just three hits the rest of the way, with Jason Richman, who leads the nation in appearances, tossing 3 1/3 innings of two-hit relief. After allowing Preston Troutman's one-out single in the fifth, Richman retired nine straight batters before surrendering Michael Pierson's double in the eighth.

"I'm awfully proud of our entire team. Each guy we ran out there out of the bullpen gave us a great effort. We got a big home run from Stryker (Brown) and we're very fortunate to score one more than they did," Hennon said.
 
Appalachian State threatened in the bottom of the ninth, with Dobson leading off with a single and going to second on a sacrifice bunt. The Eagles then turned to Tripp Sheppard to close the door, and Sheppard got a strikeout and a grounder to third to notch his first save of the season.
 
GSU, meanwhile, threatened to add more but couldn't push another run across. Dalton Busby and Kody Adams hit consecutive one-out singles in the fifth to knock DeVrieze from the contest, but reliever Zach Joyce got a pair of strikeouts to end the inning.
 
The Eagles loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth, but Robert Whaley, Appalachian State's third pitcher of the day, got a grounder to end the threat.
 
GSU stranded two more runners in the ninth, making all three outs on the warning track in left field.
 
Avery Fagan (2-0) picked the win with 1 1/3 innings of scoreless, hitless relief. GSU starter Ryan Frederick went 1 2/3 innings, allowing two hits and a walk with two strikeouts.
 
DeVrieze ended his season with a 1-4 mark after allowing two runs on five hits in 4 1/3 innings of work.
 
Adams was 2-for-4 to pace the Eagles at the dish, while Troutman and Pierson had two hits each. Both teams had seven hits.

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