Hennon Interview
STATESBORO, Ga. – The Georgia Southern Eagles rallied from a one-run deficit and scored six runs in the bottom of the seventh to defeat the Jacksonville Dolphins 9-4 at J.I. Clements Stadium on Wednesday.
With the bases loaded in the seventh inning and the Eagles (16-11) down 4-3,
Cody Lanford singled to right field to plate two runs and give the Eagles their first lead of the game.
Two batters later
Ryan Cleveland broke open the one-run game with a grand slam, the first of his career. Cleveland hit his third home run of the season and second in as many games to cap off a six-run inning.
"We had a few opportunities earlier in the game and hit a few balls on the nose but didn't have anything to show for it. The guys hung in there," Head Coach
Rodney Hennon said. "I am really proud of
Cody Lanford. The guy works hard everyday and always brings good energy. He has been waiting his turn and got up there in a big situation tonight and delivered."
With the victory, Georgia Southern won their fourth-straight game and eighth in the series. The Eagles tallied 14 with five Eagles finishing with multiple hits.
Aaron Mizell tallied three hits and doubled in the eighth inning, while
Chase Griffin drove in three runs with a single and a home run in the third inning.
Logan Baldwin tossed three scoreless innings out of the bullpen and picked up the win in his first career appearance. Baldwin (1-0) allowed two hits and got a pair of double plays, including one to end the game.
Andrew Ciocia took the loss after allowing three runs on five hits and a walk. Ciocia (0-1) tossed three innings and struck out a batter.
Tyler Payne and
Anthony Paesano combined for two scoreless innings before giving way to Baldwin in the seventh inning. Payne held the Dolphins (12-12) hitless over 1.2 innings.
Baseball hits the road for a first-place showdown with Texas State. The three-game Sun Belt Conference series opens Friday with a 7 p.m. ET first pitch and continues Saturday at 4 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.
Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics and twitter.com/GSAthletics, and "EaglesGATA" mobile app for Android and iOS.
