ATLANTA - Georgia Southern softball stretched its win streak to six, sweeping a pair of Sun Belt Conference games from Georgia State on Friday to close out the 2021 regular season.
The Eagles improved to 17-25 overall and 9-14 in the Sun Belt with the wins, while Georgia State fell to 15-28 overall and 3-18 in the league. Georgia Southern now awaits the release of the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Tournament bracket tomorrow to find out its opponent in the upcoming tournament. The Eagles will be playing on Tuesday in Troy, Ala., in the single-elimination play-in portion of the bracket.
Georgia Southern swept back-to-back Sun Belt series for the first time since the Eagles took three from Coastal Carolina on April 8-9 and Appalachian State on April 14-15, 2017.
"Anytime you're walking into the tournament with wins, it was a beneficial weekend," Georgia Southern Head Softball Coach Kim Dean said. "The girls are working hard and seeing why the things we stress in practice are important. And how important it is to do the small things, to dominate the details. We've got to be consistent with our throwing, pitching, fielding, hitting. And it's all starting to come into play. Our girls are fighting for each other, the energy in our dugout in so much fun. It's all starting to come together."
GAME ONE: Georgia Southern 11, Georgia State 7 (8 inn.)
Bailee Wilson launched a three-run home run in the top of the eighth inning to cap a four-run frame and give the Eagles the 11-7 win in game one of Friday's doubleheader.Â
The eighth-inning heroics were needed as Georgia Southern held a 7-5 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh, but Georgia State used a two-run single from Daisy Hess to tie the game up. The Panthers had the bases loaded but Eagle reliever Harlee Rewis (3-2) was able to get a fly out to end the threat.
Mekhia Freeman broke the deadlock in the top of the eighth with a two-out RBI single, then Faith Shirley singled and Wilson followed with the three-run blast.
The Panthers loaded the bases with two out in the bottom of the eighth but a lineout to short ended the game.
Rewis hurled 1 1/3 innings of one-hit shutout ball to nab the win in relief, while Macy Banks (2-4) took the loss for the Panthers, giving up 10 hits and six runs in 6 1/3 innings of work, walking one and striking out three.
Wilson went 2-for-4 with four RBI to lead the Eagles offensively in game one, while Freeman went 2-for-5 with a pair of RBIs - passing the 100 career RBI milestone with her RBI double in the sixth inning. Shirley had three hits as well.
GAME TWO: Georgia Southern 9, Georgia State 4
Georgia Southern batted around in a seven-run second inning to collect the 9-4 win in game two and earn the Sun Belt sweep for a second consecutive weekend.
Aniston Johnson led off the scoring with a two-run double, then Jess Mazur followed with an RBI double of her own. Mekhia Freeman had a two-RBI single, then Faith Shirley capped the frame with a two-run home run down the left field line.
Emily Brown got the Panthers on the board in the bottom half of the second with an RBI single, but Olivia Creamer drew a bases-loaded walk and Mazur scored on a wild pitch in the third to make the score 9-1.
The Panthers scored a run in the third on an RBI single by Alyssa Brumelow, then plated two more in the seventh after a Skylar Mosel single, but Rewis again finished off the game by retiring the final three batters.
Aaliyah Garcia improved to 7-6 by hurling three innings of two-hit scoreless ball, walking two and striking out one for the Eagles. Elle Doolittle (0-5) took the loss for the Panthers, giving up four hits and five runs in one-plus inning of work, walking one and striking out one.
Johnson's two hits and two RBI led the Eagles offensively in game two, while Mazur went 2-for-2 with a pair of runs scored and an RBI.
