Eagles Clinch Series, Secure SBC Tournament Berth with 6-4 Win

Friday, May 1

Atlanta, GA

4 PM

Georgia Southern University

22-28, 9-13

Georgia State

25-29, 4-18

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Ga. Southern	0	1	0	2	2	0	1	6	7	1
Georgia St.	0	0	0	0	1	2	1	4	12	0

Eagles Clinch Series, Secure SBC Tournament Berth with 6-4 Win

5/1/2026 6:57:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

ATLANTA – The Georgia Southern (23-28, 10-13 SBC) did exactly what it needed to do on Friday, taking down the Georgia State Panthers (25-30, 4-19 SBC) 6-4 to secure the series.

The Eagles jumped out early and never trailed, using timely hitting and a composed pitching effort to hold off a late Panthers push.

Georgia Southern plated a run in the second inning when Braelyn Queen came around to score on a wild pitch, setting the tone for a game where pressure consistently paid off.

The offense broke things open in the fourth.

Emma Davis launched a solo home run – the second of her career – to extend the lead before Brooke Kell worked a bases-loaded walk to make it 3-0. Georgia Southern added two more in the fifth, highlighted by RBI efforts from Queen and Demere Gray, pushing the advantage to 5-0.

Georgia State answered in the middle innings, scoring in the fifth before a two-run home run by Chloe Hatcher in the sixth trimmed the deficit to 5-3. But Gray delivered a crucial insurance run in the seventh, blasting a solo home run to give the Eagles breathing room at 6-3.

Gray led the Eagles offensively, going 2-for-4 with a home run, double, and two RBIs, while Davis added a homer and two hits of her own. Queen also scored twice and drove in a run as part of a balanced attack.

In the circle, Bailey Holland (9-10) earned the win, striking out six over 5.1 innings while allowing three runs. Kaylee Croft came on in relief to secure the final five outs and pick up her second save of the season.

The Panthers made things interesting in the seventh, cutting the lead to two and bringing the tying run to the plate, but Croft shut the door to preserve the victory.

With the win, Georgia Southern not only claims the rivalry series over Georgia State but also secures its place in the upcoming SBC Tournament, capping off a crucial weekend with postseason implications.