Friday, February 16
Athens, Ga.
5 p.m.
Georgia Southern University
0-1
9
at
22
Georgia
1-0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Georgia Southern
0
0
4
0
3
0
0
2
0
9
8
4
Georgia Bulldogs
0
0
2
0
6
3
6
5
X
22
19
3
Tyler Martin
Photo by: AJ Henderson - Georgia Southern Athletics
Early Lead Slips Away in Opening Day Loss at Georgia
2/16/2018 10:18:00 PM | Baseball
Eagles led 7-2 early, but Bulldogs take the opener 22-9
BOX SCORE (PDF) | PHOTO GALLERY
ATHENS, GA. – Georgia Southern's offense struck for four runs in the third and three in the fifth to take an early 7-2 lead, but Georgia scored 20 runs in their final four trips to the plate to take the 22-9 win. The Eagles and Bulldogs will return to Foley Field on Saturday at 1 p.m. for game two of the series. Watch the contest live on SEC Network + or listen on the Georgia Southern Sports Network.
SCORING SUMMARY
Top 3rd - A two out single by Steven Curry and a walk to Mitchell Golden set the table for Tyler Martin to drive in a pair of runs. The junior stroked a ball to the gap in right, plating two runs. Mason McWhorter, hitting cleanup for the Eagles, cleared the bases with a two-run home run to right, pushing the lead to 4-0.
Bottom 3rd - Georgia responded immediately, scoring two runs off four hits and a pair of Eagle errors.
Top 5th - The top of the order sparked another rally in the fifth with Curry reaching when he was hit and moving up on a Golden single. Martin doubled to center for the second time in the game to send a pair of runners home for the second time in the game. An error and a wild pitch allowed Martin to score later in the frame to put the Eagles up 7-2.
Bottom 5th - Brian Eichhorn got the first out of the fifth with a strikeout, but an error opened the door for a six run inning that featured just two UGA hits. Three walks and a hit batter by members of the Eagle bullpen hurt the cause as the Bulldogs took an 8-7 lead.
Bottom 6th - UGA tacked on three more in the sixth off two runs and an error to extend the lead to 11-7.
Bottom 7th - A Michael Curry grand slam headlined a six run seventh inning which made the lead 17-7.
Top 8th - Two pinch hitters did damage for the Eagles in the eighth inning to knife into the Bulldog lead. Christian Avant got his first collegiate hit with a single down line to left. The next batter, Noah Searcy smoked a pitch to center for a home run in his debut at bat.
NOTES
- The Eagles opened the season with four errors on Friday night. In 2017 the Eagles only committed more than three errors once, recording five against South Alabama in a 19-6 loss to the Jaguars on March 18.
- Tyler Martin's double in the third extended his hit streak to nine-straight games. He entered 2018 having posted a base hit in the final eight games of 2017, dating back to May 14th against Arkansas State.
- The 22 runs allowed was the most given up by the Eagles since March 10, 2015 when Georgia Tech bested the Eagles 22-6.
NEXT GAME
The Eagles will give the ball to Seth Shuman for Saturday's matinee at Foley Field. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. for the season's second game. Watch the game live on SEC Network + at WatchESPN.com.
Georgia Southern Athletics provides current information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, which is fully responsive across all mobile devices. Information on Eagle athletics can also be found through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics and Instagram.com/GSAthletics. To purchase tickets to Georgia Southern athletics events, visit GSEagles.com/tickets.
In order to expedite entry and provide a safe environment for all patrons and participants, Georgia Southern Athletics has implemented a Clear Bag Policy for all ticketed sporting events, effective Aug. 1, 2017. Fans can find the complete policy as well as an FAQ section at GSEagles.com/ClearBag.
ATHENS, GA. – Georgia Southern's offense struck for four runs in the third and three in the fifth to take an early 7-2 lead, but Georgia scored 20 runs in their final four trips to the plate to take the 22-9 win. The Eagles and Bulldogs will return to Foley Field on Saturday at 1 p.m. for game two of the series. Watch the contest live on SEC Network + or listen on the Georgia Southern Sports Network.
SCORING SUMMARY
Top 3rd - A two out single by Steven Curry and a walk to Mitchell Golden set the table for Tyler Martin to drive in a pair of runs. The junior stroked a ball to the gap in right, plating two runs. Mason McWhorter, hitting cleanup for the Eagles, cleared the bases with a two-run home run to right, pushing the lead to 4-0.
Bottom 3rd - Georgia responded immediately, scoring two runs off four hits and a pair of Eagle errors.
Top 5th - The top of the order sparked another rally in the fifth with Curry reaching when he was hit and moving up on a Golden single. Martin doubled to center for the second time in the game to send a pair of runners home for the second time in the game. An error and a wild pitch allowed Martin to score later in the frame to put the Eagles up 7-2.
Bottom 5th - Brian Eichhorn got the first out of the fifth with a strikeout, but an error opened the door for a six run inning that featured just two UGA hits. Three walks and a hit batter by members of the Eagle bullpen hurt the cause as the Bulldogs took an 8-7 lead.
Bottom 6th - UGA tacked on three more in the sixth off two runs and an error to extend the lead to 11-7.
Bottom 7th - A Michael Curry grand slam headlined a six run seventh inning which made the lead 17-7.
Top 8th - Two pinch hitters did damage for the Eagles in the eighth inning to knife into the Bulldog lead. Christian Avant got his first collegiate hit with a single down line to left. The next batter, Noah Searcy smoked a pitch to center for a home run in his debut at bat.
NOTES
- The Eagles opened the season with four errors on Friday night. In 2017 the Eagles only committed more than three errors once, recording five against South Alabama in a 19-6 loss to the Jaguars on March 18.
- Tyler Martin's double in the third extended his hit streak to nine-straight games. He entered 2018 having posted a base hit in the final eight games of 2017, dating back to May 14th against Arkansas State.
- The 22 runs allowed was the most given up by the Eagles since March 10, 2015 when Georgia Tech bested the Eagles 22-6.
NEXT GAME
The Eagles will give the ball to Seth Shuman for Saturday's matinee at Foley Field. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. for the season's second game. Watch the game live on SEC Network + at WatchESPN.com.
Georgia Southern Athletics provides current information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, which is fully responsive across all mobile devices. Information on Eagle athletics can also be found through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics and Instagram.com/GSAthletics. To purchase tickets to Georgia Southern athletics events, visit GSEagles.com/tickets.
In order to expedite entry and provide a safe environment for all patrons and participants, Georgia Southern Athletics has implemented a Clear Bag Policy for all ticketed sporting events, effective Aug. 1, 2017. Fans can find the complete policy as well as an FAQ section at GSEagles.com/ClearBag.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Locey (1-0)
L: Harris, Hayden (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Martin, Tyler 1
HR: McWhorter, Mason 1 ; Searcy, Noah 1
RBI: Martin, Tyler 4 ; McWhorter, Mason 2 ; Searcy, Noah 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Curry, Steven 2 ; Golden, Mitchell 2 ; Martin, Tyler 2 ; McWhorter, Mason 1 ; Avant, Christian 1 ; Searcy, Noah 1
HBP: Curry, Steven 1
Batting:
2B: McGovern 1 ; Shepherd 1
3B: Talley 1
HR: Curry 1
RBI: Webb, M. 1 ; McGovern 1 ; Shepherd 3 ; Curry 5 ; Tate, Cole 1 ; Talley 1 ; Johnson 1 ; Sasser 2 ; Meadows 2 ; Maxwell 2
SF: Sasser 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bradley 3 ; McGovern 3 ; Rogers 1 ; Shepherd 3 ; Logan 1 ; Curry 2 ; King 1 ; Schunk 1 ; Tate, Cole 2 ; Talley 2 ; Johnson 1 ; Sullivan 1 ; Maxwell 1
HBP: Sullivan 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
4
3b/ss
AB
4
R
2
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
C
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
RHP/INF
/ BaseballGeorgia Southern Football Media Availability (12/15/25)
Monday, December 15
The GATA Zone - Episode 9 (Swimming and Diving)
Thursday, December 11
Clay Helton Media Availability: National Signing Day (12/3/25)
Thursday, December 04
Georgia Southern vs. Marshall Highlights (11/29/25)
Sunday, November 30
