PANTHERSVILLE, Ga. ? Northeastern hit seven home runs en route to beating the Georgia State baseball team 14-6 in the second game of their Colonial Athletic Association series. Jean-Michel Rochon-Salvas and Bradley Logan led the Panther attack, each going 4-for-5 with a home run apiece.
The Huskies (10-9, 3-5 CAA) exploded offensively in the third, scoring seven unearned runs off Panther starter Will Palmer. After quickly getting two outs, Palmer (2-1) got bit by an error at third that allowed Ryan Maguire to reach. Maguire stole second and scored on a single from David Gustafson, giving NU a 1-0 lead. After a Frank Compagnone RBI double, Tamsin cleared the bases with a two-run homer to center field. With a strong wind blowing to straight away center, Josh Porter later belted a three-run home run over the 15-foot wall to give NU a 7-0 lead.
Georgia State (16-9, 5-6 CAA) scrapped back a run in the bottom of the frame on Jean-Michel Rochon-Salvas' double off the centerfield wall that brought home Dusty Bennett.
Again with two outs, Palmer ran into trouble in the fourth. The lefty surrendered consecutive solo home runs to Gustafson and Compagnone, trailing 9-1 when he was lifted for reliever Will Campbell. Campbell used two pitches to end the inning with a flyball out to left.
With two outs and a runner at third, the teams endured a 1 hour and three minutes lightning and rain delay. Northeastern starter Jeff Thomson (3-1) returned to the mound with a 0-1 count and a runner on third base, finally finishing the fourth inning with a strikeout.
NU extended its lead in the fifth with back-to-back home runs from Mike Lyon and Tony DiCesare. Thomson moved quickly through the State lineup before running into trouble in the bottom of the seventh. Trailing 13-1, the Panthers put runners at first and second with one out when a passed ball moved everybody up 90 feet. Rochon-Salvas then belted a first-pitch homer off Thomson to left field. The pitch to Rochon-Salvas was the last of the day for Thomson, who was lifted in favor of Bobby Carrington.
Carrington did not have any better success, as Bradley Logan belted a solo shot to center while Matt Van Horn's single up the middle capped the scoring in the frame as the Panthers closed the gap to 13-6. The Huskies regained a run in the eighth off Panther reliever Bobby Bennett before Zach Chastain ended the scoring threat with a 6-4-3 double play.
“In a three game series, each team is going to have a game where things go their way. Not to say Northeastern got lucky because they earned everything they got today,” said head coach Greg Frady. “We just have to do things better tomorrow and come to the ballpark ready to go.”
Rochon-Salvas finished the day 4-for-5 with a run scored and four RBIs, narrowly missing the cycle as he lacked a triple. Logan also went 4-for-5 with a homer and run scored. Dusty Bennett went 2-for-4 and scored twice.
The teams played the rubber match of their CAA series tomorrow at 1 p.m.
NOTES: Jean-Michel Rochon-Salvas hit his 234th career hit with a double in the third to take sole possession of second place in school history, surpassing Josh Vandiver (1999-02) ... Bobby Bennett made his 69th career appearance, entering in the sixth, taking over first place in Panther history and breaking a tie with Brock Radaker (1992-95).
