NORFOLK, Va. ? After rallying to take a 4-2 lead in the sixth inning, the Georgia State baseball team was unable to hold onto its lead and dropped a 7-4 decision in the opener of its Colonial Athletic Association series against Old Dominion Friday night.
With the game tied at two in the sixth, Georgia State (29-21, 9-15 CAA) took the lead after Matt Van Horn led off the frame with a single. Derek Simmons doubled to right center, scoring Van Horn and giving the Panthers a 3-2 edge. Simmons later scored on a groundout, giving State a 4-2 lead.
Old Dominion (23-21, 13-10 CAA) mounted its comeback in the bottom of the frame, as Anthony Shawler led off the half with a single up the middle. State starter Robinson Polanco (7-4) recorded the next out, but took a ball of his leg in the process and never seemed the same. After a walk, Shawler stole third and scored on a single through the right side.
With one out and a 4-3 lead, the Panthers made a pitching change and brought in John Locklear. The righty gave up another single, as the Monarchs rallied to tie the game. Max Most cleared the bases with a triple to right center, giving ODU a 6-4 lead. Chris Keenan capped the scoring with a single to center, giving ODU starter Dan Hudson a three-run lead.
“I thought the team played very good, but we had one bad inning where we gave up five runs and that was the difference in the game,” said head coach Greg Frady.
Hudson (5-4) walked Jean-Michel Rochon-Salvas to lead off the seventh and gave up a single to Chase Childers; quickly putting himself into a jam after his team took the lead. The righty induced a double play and registered a strikeout to leave Rochon-Salvas stranded on third.
In the eighth with one out, Simmons and Dusty Bennett put together consecutive singles. Unfortunately, the Panthers were unable to advance the duo any further. Hudson gave up a single to Childers in the ninth, but got a strikeout and fly out to close the game.
The Panthers never seemed to get into an offensive rhythm, and Frady credited Hudson with keeping State's batter off balance. “We just never got where we needed to be,” Frady said. “We had some opportunities, but never got the big hit. Hudson threw 144 pitches tonight and did a great job and showed a lot of mental toughness.”
The teams continue their three-game CAA series tomorrow at 4 p.m.
Simmons led the State offense, going 3-for-4 with a homer run in the fourth, a double and two RBIs. Childers and Logan also collected a pair of hits in the game.
NOTES: Robinson Polanco struck out five of the first six batters he faced ... Bradley Logan extended his hitting streak to 16 games with a single in the third inning ... Logan collected his 75th hit of the season in the fifth to move into a three-way tie for fifth place on State's single-season list.
