STATESBORO, GA. - Georgia Southern erased a four run deficit in the ninth inning en route to an 11-inning, 7-6 win over Louisiana in the second round of the single elimination Sun Belt Baseball Championship.
Logan Baldwin's ninth inning grand slam helped force extra innings. He would score the eventual winning run in the 11th inning off
Jordan Wren's double. The Eagles will now face Texas State on Saturday evening at 6:30 p.m. inside the friendly confines.
Baldwin's grand slam and run in the 11th capped a 3-for-6 day which included an outfield assist to throw out a runner. Second Team All-Sun Belt Designated Hitter
Tyler Martin went 3-for-5 with a solo home run in the fourth.
Mitchell Golden was a late pinch hitter, but went 2-for-3 with hits in the 9th and 10th innings.
SCORING PLAYS
Bot 1st - GS 0 - UL 1 - Louisiana took an early 1-0 lead in the first when they took advantage of two hit batters. A single by Kennon Fontenot drove in the early go-ahead run.
Bot 2nd - GS 0 - UL 3 - A two-run home run from Handsome Monica pushed the Cajun lead to 3-0.
Top 4th - GS 1 - UL 3 - Sophomore
Tyler Martin tattooed his ninth home run of the season over the centerfield wall to cut the Louisiana lead to 3-1. The home run was just the second allowed this season by the Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year Gunner Leger.
Bot 6th - GS 1 - UL 5 - The Cajuns tacked on two more runs in the sixth with a solo home run followed by two singles around a walk.
Top 9th - GS 6 - UL 5 - Georgia Southern had a miraculous five inning ninth inning to take the lead. Two walks and two singles loaded the bases and brought in the inning's first run. After a strikeout for the first out of the inning,
Logan Baldwin crushed a grand slam over the blue monster in right. It was the first home run over the new wall for an Eagle batter and Baldwin's fourth bomb of the year.
Bot 9th - GS 5 - UL 6 - The Cajuns worked the bases loaded in the ninth and posted the tying run when a fielding error allowed a runner to reach. The Eagles rebounded and threw the winning run out at the plate to send the game to extra innings.
Top 11th - GS 6 - UL 7 - Baldwin kicked off the 11th with a leadoff single and moved up on a sacrifice bunt. It was a double from
Jordan Wren that knocked in the Eagles' second go-ahead run of the night which proved to be enough for the win.
GAME NOTES
-
Seth Shuman worked the 10th and 11th innings to pick up his eighth win of the season. He allowed a hit and struck out two while throwing 26 pitches.
- Louisiana's Gunner Leger, the Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year in 2017 scattered six Eagle hits over seven innings with seven strikeouts. The Cajuns got an impressive eighth inning from Wyatt Marks who struck out three and walked one in a clean eighth inning. Dylan Moore, however, did not record an out against the four batters he faced, giving up four runs off two hits. Colton Schmidt would get an out, but gave up the grand slam as the Eagles took the lead.
NEXT UP
Georgia Southern will face Texas State in Saturday's second semifinal game. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. on Jack Stallings Field at J.I. Clements Stadium. Fans can watch the game on ESPN3 or pick up tickets at GSEagles.com/Tickets.
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, twitter.com/GSAthletics, iOS app Georgia Southern Eagles and Android app Eagles GATA. Fans can purchase tickets to Georgia Southern Athletics events by visiting GSEagles.com/Tickets.
