SENIOR DAY PHOTO GALLERY

STATESBORO, GA. – Georgia Southern closed the 2015 regular season with a pair of losses to Georgia State as the Eagles honored their senior class before the contest. The Eagles took one on the chin in game one, dropping the 19-6 decision in five innings. In game two, Georgia State posted a 10-0 lead early, but a seven-run rally by the home side made it a ballgame late. The Eagles will open the Sun Belt Tournament on Wednesday in San Marcos, Texas against Georgia State.

"We showed great fight in the second game," said Head Coach Annie Smith. "I was proud of the way our team and our seniors battled late in the second game today. I tell the team that as long as we've got an at bat we've got a chance and we were able to get back into the game and had the tying run at the plate. Now we've got to fight as we get ready for the tournament next week."

Saturday's doubleheader was Senior Day as Georgia Southern honored its six seniors in a pregame ceremony.

Before the game Georgia Southern and Georgia State paused for a moment of silence in honor of Wade Blackwell, father of Georgia State sophomore Mandy Blackwell, who tragically passed away on Friday afternoon.

GAME ONE – GS 6 – GAST 19 – 5 Innings

Georgia State piled on 10 runs in the first and added six in the third en route to the 19-6 win in Saturday's first game. Three Eagle pitchers combined to work the first inning which featured the 10-spot off five hits and five walks. A grand slam for Taylor Anderson scored four. The Panthers hit a total of three home runs with two of the grand slam variety in the five-inning contest.

Georgia Southern got its first two runs in the second inning when senior Kaitlyn Johnson sent her sixth home run of the season over the wall in left center. Two more came in the fourth when AJ Hamilton lobbed a bomb to right center.

Later in the fourth, Alesha Mann got the Eagles on the board again with an RBI single to left to plate Johnson and make the score 19-5. The Eagles added a run in the fifth when Morgan Robinson made good on a leadoff double from Emily Snider with an RBI ground out.

GAME TWO – GS 7 – GAST 10

Eagle starting pitcher Brooke Red made her return from injury in Saturday's second game and had an outstanding three-up, three-down first inning. Her first appearance in six weeks turned, however, as the senior gave up one run in the second and six in the third as Georgia State took a 7-0 lead through three innings. Red struck out four in her 2.1 innings of work. Three more Panther runs in the fourth extended the lead to 10-0.

The Eagles were on the ropes in the fifth round, but were able to avoid the knockout punch of the run rule with three in the frame to extend the contest. A double from Mann scored Michelle Mazur, while an error on a bunt attempt by the Panthers allowed another run to cross. A sacrifice fly by Hamilton with one out plated the third run and cut the lead back to seven runs.

Four runs off four hits in the sixth made it a four run game with one inning remaining. Coon's leadoff single opened the door for the inning which featured two Georgia State errors including a bad throw by the pitcher on a sacrifice attempt and a dropped fly ball by the shortstop. RBIs by Mann, Snider, and Hamilton did the damage for the Eagles who clawed their way back in the game.

In the seventh the Eagles got two quick runners aboard, but a pitching change for the Panthers brought the State starter back into the game. A ground ball and two fly outs ended the regular season as the rally fell short and the regular season came to an end.
 
Next up for the Eagles is the Sun Belt Tournament which starts on Wednesday in San Marcos, Texas. The Eagles enter the postseason as the No. 8 seed and face the No. 5 seed Georgia State at 11:00 a.m. (CT) in Wednesday's first game. The full tournament bracket and seeds will be announced on Sunday afternoon after the completion of the three remaining regular season games.

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