STATESBORO, Ga. – The Eagles dropped their final game against Troy in an 8-4 loss Sunday afternoon in J.I. Clements Stadium. The Eagles were charged with five errors in the game as they surrendered an early 3-0 lead to the Trojans. Next on the slate, the Eagles face Arkansas State in a three-game series starting Thursday, March 24 at 7 p.m. (ET).
 
QUOTABLES
HEAD COACH RODNEY HENNON
"The game couldn't have started out any better. I felt like we had a starter on the ropes early, but we didn't make plays, it's as simple as that. We didn't play the game very well and we gave them most everything they got. The bottom line is we have to have a killer instinct. On Sunday, when you have an opportunity to put them away, you have to put them away and we didn't do that. We allowed them to hang around, and to their credit, they hung in there and found a way to get a win. We have to pull ourselves together and focus on this week and prepare for Arkansas State."
 
PLAYER OF THE GAME
C.J. Brazil // C // Jr. // Marietta, GA
C.J. Brazil scored his first collegiate home run with a blast to left field, scoring the final run for the Eagles. Brazil went 2-4 on the game, with one RBI and two runs scored.
 
CRUCIAL MOMENTS
BOTTOM 1^ST – Georgia Southern gained an early 3-0 lead to start the first frame. The first two runs scored on Will Hudgins' single through the left side, while the third run came in later in the inning on Kent Rollins' sacrifice fly. It was the third time in the series that the Eagles got a first-inning run off the Trojans.
TOP 5^TH – Troy evened the scored with three runs on two outs in the fifth. A single to right field plated the first run for the Trojans. Back-to-back errors in the middle of the Eagle infield extended the inning and allowed two more runs to score.
TOP 6^TH – Troy added five runs in the sixth off five hits and three errors. The Trojans got their first run against relief pitcher Connor Simmons. After his exit with one out, Troy tagged Adam Kelly for four runs off four hits and a walk to extend the lead to 8-3. Kelly didn't get an out, ut Anthony Paesano was able to get the Eagles out of the inning.
BOTTOM 7^TH – C.J. Brazil gave the Eagles life and cut the lead to 8-4 with a solo home run after the stretch. It was the first collegiate home run for the junior catcher.
 
NOTES
- Evan McDonald extended his hit streak to 11-games with a 2-for-4 afternoon. He worked a walk and scored a run in the opening frame. Over the last 11 games, McDonald is hitting .410.
- Ryan Cleveland followed suit, extending his hit streak to 10 games by going 1-for-3 with a walk and a double. The power-hitting first baseman is hitting .300 (12-for-40) in his streak with half of those hits going for extra bases (five doubles, a triple and a home run).
- Connor Simmons took the loss on Sunday, the first blemish on his record this year. He was handed the defeat, allowing an unearned run in his two-thirds of an inning. He is now 2-1 on the year through 12 appearances.
 
NEXT GAME
Georgia Southern travels to Jonesboro, Ark. for a three-game series against Arkansas State this week. Game one is set for Thursday, March 24 at 7 p.m. (ET), with games two and three planned for Friday at 7 p.m. (ET) and Saturday at Noon (ET). 
 
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