DECATUR, GA. – Georgia Southern Baseball took a 7-2 win to open a doubleheader on the final day of the regular season. The Eagles, however, were on the short end of a 15-7 line in a dead rubber regular season finale. Georgia Southern won the Sun Belt Eastern Division Championship on Friday night following losses by South Alabama and Coastal Carolina. The Eagles open tournament play on Wednesday against the highest seeded survivor from Tuesday's preliminary round at 12:30 p.m.

Georgia Southern enters the postseason at 32-23 and 18-12 in Sun Belt play. Georgia State's season comes to a close at 15-41 overall and 6-24 in league play. With the series win, Georgia Southern takes the final on-field point in the 2018-19 Southern vs. State Rivalry Series.

GAME ONE
The Eagles got a run in the first and third innings to quickly take a 2-0 lead. State answered with two in the bottom of the third to even the game at 2-2. From that point it was all Eagles who scored five unanswered runs to take the 7-2 win.

Steven Curry went 2-for-3 with two RBIs to lead the way for the Eagle offense. Austin Thompson was 2-for-4 as the Eagles confirmed their East Division Championship, avoiding all tiebreakers.

Joe Nahas threw four innings of three hit ball, but was charged with both Panther runs. Cole Whitney worked the final five innings, to improve to 5-3 on the year. Whitney struck out a career-high seven batters to notch 100 for his Statesboro career. He allowed just two hits over five shutout frames with just one walk.

GAME TWO
Georgia Southern quickly hung five runs in the first inning with three scoring off Noah Searcy's home run, but Georgia State would score 15 of the next 17 runs to take game two 15-7.

After the early Eagle lead, State got two in the home half of the first, a number which was answered by two from the Eagles in the second.

From that point it was all Panthers as the Eagle pitching staff combined to allow 15 runs off 19 hits and nine walks while striking out seven batters.

UP NEXT
Georgia Southern will make its way to Conway, South Carolina for next week's Sun Belt Baseball Championships. The Eagles are the No. 2 seed for the tournament which starts with single elimination play on Tuesday. Georgia Southern's first game will be on Wednesday against the highest seeded survivor of Tuesday's preliminary round at 12:30 p.m.