Late Push Falls Short Against App State

Friday, April 24

Statesboro, GA

6 PM

Georgia Southern University

19-28, 6-13

Appalachian State

28-17, 7-12

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
App State	0	4	0	0	0	1	2	7	8	3
Ga. Southern	3	0	0	2	0	0	0	5	6	0

4/24/2026 9:03:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

STATESBORO – The Georgia Southern Eagles (19-28, 6-13 SBC) came out with energy and intent Friday night at Eagle Field, delivering one of its more complete offensive starts of the conference season despite ultimately falling 7–5 to the App State Mountaineers (28-17, 7-12 SBC).

The Eagles wasted no time setting the tone in the bottom of the first inning.

After working traffic on the bases, Georgia Southern capitalized with timely hitting and aggressive baserunning to jump out to a 3-0 lead.

With bases loaded, Braelyn Queen showed discipline at the plate, drawing a walk to bring home the game's first run. Moments later, Jaycee Bilbrey put the ball in play, reaching on a fielder's choice that allowed another run to score while pressure on the defense led to an error that kept the inning alive.

Demere Gray capped the rally with an RBI single, driving in the third run of the frame and giving the Eagles early momentum.

Even after App State responded with a big second inning, Georgia Southern didn't fade.

The Eagles continued to battle and reclaimed the lead in the fourth thanks to a clutch two-run home run from Delanie Thames, whose swing energized the dugout and put the Eagles back in front 5-4.

Emma Davis and Valerie Combs also contributed multi-hit performances, going 2-for-4 each to help Georgia Southern stay competitive throughout.

In the circle, the Eagles settled in after a tough stretch early, with Alana Barnard providing a steady relief effort to keep the game within reach. Defensively, Georgia Southern played a clean game overall, committing no errors and making several key plays.

The game remained tight into the late innings, with the score tied heading into the sixth. App State managed to break through late, but Georgia Southern continued to fight, putting pressure on the Mountaineers until the final out.

With timely hitting, improved plate discipline, and steady defense, Georgia Southern has plenty to build on heading into the remainder of the weekend.