STATESBORO, GA. - Georgia Southern skipped the late inning heroics on Saturday night, scoring 11 runs in the first five innings to take an 11-5 win over Texas State to advance to their second-straight Sun Belt Baseball Championship Game. The Eagles will face South Alabama on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. in the tournament finale at the friendly confines. Fans can watch on ESPN3 or join Eagle Nation in person by purchasing tickets at GSEagles.com/Tickets.

SCORING PLAYS
Top 1st - TXST 2 - GS 0 - The Bobcats took an early 2-0 lead with a two run home run in a three hit first frame. Cleanup Hitter Theodore Hoffman scrambled the 2-0 pitch to left. A triple by the next batter ended Chase Cohen's start after 0.2 innings.
Bot 1st - TXST 2 - GS 2 - Ryan Cleveland ran into his first home run in two weeks, lofting a two-run job to left center, tying the game at 2-2. It was his 15th of the season and 46th in his career.
Bot 2nd - TXST 2 - GS 5 - A throwing error by the Texas State third baseman opened the door for the Eagles to add three runs off three hits in the second. Tyler Martin drove in two with a double to the gap in right center.
Top 3rd - TXST 3 - GS 5 - The Bobcats scratched out a run off two hits and a wild pitch in the third to cut the lead back to two.
Bot 3rd - TXST 3 - GS 6 - A walk from Mason McWhorter with one out in the third came good after a wild pitch and a single moved him around to third. C.J. Brazil drove in the run with a sacrifice fly to right.
Bot 4th - TXST 3 - GS 8 - A leadoff walk to Steven Curry produced a run with a throwing error on a pickoff and two wild pitches as the freshman scampered home. After another walk to Baldwin, Jordan Wren plated the eighth run of the day to push the lead to 8-3.
Bot 5rd - TXST 3 - GS 11 - Three more runs off a hit and an error in the fifth accounted for the Eagles' 11 runs in the game. Baldwin drove in two with a single to the gap in left.
Top 7th - TXST 5 - GS 11 - As relief pitcher Brian Eichhorn labored in the seventh inning, Texas State tacked on a pair of runs off four hits.

GAME NOTES
- Ryan Cleveland's first inning home run moved the senior into a tie for eighth place on the career home runs chart with his 46th career blast. He is even with Rob Fitzpatrick (1987-90) on the list.
- Brian Eichhorn picked up his third win of the season working six and a third innings with eight strikeouts. He also added a nifty behind the back catch in the seventh inning to record his final out of the night.
- Logan Baldwin continued his hot tournament by going 4-for-4 on Saturday night. He is hitting .700 in the Sun Belt Championship, going 7-for-10.
- Georgia Southern can become the first host to win the Sun Belt Championship since South Alabama won the 2000 tournament in Mobile. That year the fifth seeded Jaguars defeated the third seeded Florida International. On Sunday the No. 5 seeded Eagles will face the No. 3 seed South Alabama.

NEXT UP
Georgia Southern faces South Alabama in the Sun Belt Championship Game at 1 p.m. with a trip to the NCAA Tournament on the line. The game will be shown on ESPN3 at WatchESPN.com. Fans can pick up their tickets by visiting GSEagles.com/Tickets.

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