PANTHERSVILLE, Ga. (04/03/07) ? Mary Kathryn Branan (Alpharetta, Ga./Milton) smacked a two-run homer in the second contest of a doubleheader as Georgia State cruised past Troy 6-0 on Tuesday afternoon at Bob Heck Field. The Panthers dropped the opening game 8-3.
In the nightcap with two outs and one on, senior captain Branan opened the third inning with a two-run homer to left field. Lily Skelton (McDonough, Ga./Union Grove) followed with a homer of her own, giving State a 3-0 advantage.
Nichole Griffin (Leesburg, Ga./Lee County) smacked one deep into right field for two runs in the fourth inning. Griffin's home run extended State's lead to 5-0.
Branan hit an RBI single in the sixth adding another run to the Panthers lead as she plated Willis for a 6-0 lead. The score held as sophomore pitcher Madi Gore (Acworth, Ga./Kell) shut out the Trojans in the seventh.
Gore (14-6) collected the win for Georgia State pitching a two-hitter and fanning five batters in a complete game. Heather Rush (6-3) picked up the loss for Troy.
Holly Willis (Chesapeake, Va./Great Bridge) hit an RBI single, plating Nikki Bradford (McDonough, Ga./Henry County) from second base in the third frame of the opening game.
Felicia Hammer hit a lead off home run in the top of the fifth to tie the game at one. Courtney Davis walked with the bases loaded crossing Heidi Johnson. Rocky Paige hit a sacrifice fly to add another run and Brooke Powell hit an RBI single to give the Trojans a 4-1 lead.
Brooke Powell hit a two-RBI double in the top of the seventh and Brittany Robinette followed with an RBI single up the middle. The final run for Troy was scored when pinch hitter Anna Tew hit an RBI single into centerfield.
Lauren Fetters (Canton, Ga./Sequoyah) scored for Georgia State from first base when Danielle Roddy (Canton, Ga./Woodstock) hit a single into left field and advanced to third on a fielding error by the left fielder. Branan followed with a sacrifice fly to cross Roddy. The Panthers cut the lead to 8-3 but after a single, the next two batters popped out and flied out to give Troy an 8-3 victory.
Ashley Cowan (7-5) took the loss for the Panthers while pitching four innings. Rocky Paige (7-2) grabbed the win, pitching five innings and striking out six batters.
Georgia State will host Colonial Athletic Association foe Hofstra on Friday April 6 in a three-game series. A doubleheader will be played on Friday at 4:00 p.m. and a single game will be on Saturday at 10:00 a.m.
