Junior Bradley Logan and senior Marc Mimeault provided the late inning heroics as sophomore Aidan Francis shut down the Tribe in relief as the Georgia State baseball team defeated William & Mary 6-4 in 10 innings on Friday night.
With the Panthers (13-6, 1-0 CAA) trailing 3-1 in the top of the eighth, Logan singled home senior Nick Hogan to cut the deficit to two. Mimeault would later ground out to second, scoring junior Carl Moniz to tie the game.
The duo would provide the extra innings heroics as well as Logan singled through the right side, scoring senior Joey Wood as the Panthers took a 4-3 lead in the top of the tenth inning. Mimeault would follow that with a two-run home run, his third of the season, to give State a three-run edge.
“We really got things going late in the game and I am so proud of this team,” commented head coach Greg Frady. “We were playing uphill all game long, but before the eighth inning, I told the team we needed to rally and we were able to do it. Bradley and Marc really made the difference at the end, but we could not have gotten there without an excellent relief appearance by Aidan Francis. Robinson got us going early and Aidan then just shut the door on them.”
Mimeault finished the game 3-for-5 with three RBIs and one run scored, while Logan was 2-for-5 at the plate with a pair of RBIs.
“Marc preformed like a Johnny Bench Watch List honoree tonight,” continued Frady. “He was excellent at the plate and behind the mound, working with our pitchers while throwing out a couple of runners as well.”
Francis (2-0) pitched a career-high 6.0 innings of relief for the victory. The sophomore struck out five, allowing just four hits and one run.
The Tribe (5-12, 0-1 CAA) got on the board in the first inning as Tyler Stampone doubled down the left field line, scoring Jeff Jones.
William & Mary would take a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth on a sacrifice fly and sacrifice bunt.
Starter Robinson Polanco would be relieved by Francis after pitching 4.0 innings, allowing just two hits and giving up three runs. Polanco struck out six, while walking four, but did not factor in the decision.
The Panthers got on the board when senior Derek Simmons led off the top of the sixth with a double. He would later score to cut the deficit to two as Logan grounded out to second.
Moniz extended his hitting streak to 10 games and stole two bases on the evening.
Kevin Landry (0-2) earned the loss for William & Mary. Starter Cole Stain pitched six innings of four hit ball before Landry entered in the seventh.
Saturday's game will start at 2:00 p.m., with a 1:00 p.m. start set for Sunday.
The Panthers will return to Atlanta for a game against cross-town rival Georgia Tech next Tuesday at Russ Chandler Field, first pitch is set for 6:00 p.m. The game will be televised live on Fox Sports South and on WRAS-FM 88.5.
