ATLANTA, Ga. -- The Georgia State softball team used lockdown pitching and a consistent offense to sweep the first two games of day one of the seventh annual Panther Invitational defeating Temple, 10-0, and Eastern Illinois, 4-1.
Sophomore Erin Collins picked up the win in game one tossing a shut out. Freshman McCall Langford earned her second victory of the season pitching five innings of shut out ball. Leading the way on offense were junior Lauren Jones, who had three RBI, senior Lily Skelton, who knocked her 17th career home run and junior Rebecca Roles, who went 3-for-6 on the day.
The Panthers will meet the East Tennessee State Buccaneers in tomorrow's 12:15 p.m. contest and an opponent to be decided at 4:45 p.m. in the championship. Tickets can be purchased for only $5 at the gate. If you are following online, an updated blog will be kept on the front page of GeorgiaStateSports.com. Day two gets underway at 10 a.m. when Eastern Illinois faces off against Temple.
Game One
GSU scored seven runs in the third inning to force the eight-run mercy rule on the Owls after five inning, winning 10-0.
Sophomore Megan Kallatsa opened the scoring by bashing a double to right center field plating Roles and senior Rachel Cunningham. However, the seventh inning is when the Panthers broke the game open, scoring seven runs. Whitney Phillips continued her extra base streak by knocking a double plating sophomore Cassie Boese.
In the next at-bat, Jones singled scoring sophomore Chelsea Sparks and Phillips. After a pitching change Roles scored on a pitcher error before sophomore Emily Althafer drove in a pair of runs with a two-out double. Sparks drove in senior Elizabeth Thomas to score the final run of the inning.
GSU chipped in one final run in the fourth inning when Cunningham scored from third on an error by the catcher.
Collins put in a strong effort in her first appearance of the season throwing five scoreless innings, allowing only three hits.
Althafer, Jones and Kallatsa all had two RBI in the contest while Althafer, Cunningham, Kallatsa and Phillips all had doubles.
Game Two
A key home run by Skelton in the sixth inning, scoring senior Danielle Roddy and Jones, pushed a tight 1-0 contest to a 3-0 game. For the second time in three games, junior Tiffany Bess entering the game as a pinch hitter, came through for the Panthers doubling to the wall scoring an insurance run to push the lead to 4-0.
The first run of the game came via the bat of Jones who hit a sacrifice fly that scored Phillips. In three games, Phillips has five hits, four of them extra-base hits, composed of three triples and a double.
Langford earned her second win of the young season after five scoreless innings. Sophomore Alana Thomas picked up the save.
Skelton led the way with a home run and two RBI. Phillips went 2-for-four with a run scored while Bess had an RBI.
7th Annual Georgia State Invitational Results From The Other Games:
Temple 6, East Tennessee State 4
Game 1 - The Temple Owls opened the season with a 6-4 win over East Tennessee State. The Owls from Philadelphia got a complete game pitched and a home run off the bat of junior Kristen Marris. The ETSU Buccaneers, of the Atlantic Sun Conference, slip to 2-2 on the season. Each team had seven hits in the day's opening game in early morning sunny 55 degree Atlanta.
East Tennessee State 2, Eastern Illinois 1
Game 3 - ETSU wins, 2-1 in 8. Amy Campbell drives home pinch runner Annie Martin in top of eighth. Teams each hit HR in 4th inning with Arielle Garner putting one over the fence for ETSU (now 3-2) and Melinda Jackson for EIU. Pitcher Jessica Duncan went all 8 innings to pick up the win with a three-hit, nine strikeout effort. Amber May pitched the whole way for EIU, allowing four hits, two runs and striking out 6. This was the season-opening game for EIU. Today's attendance for the opening day was 165. Afternoon temperature reached 63 degrees. Tomorrow's high expected to be 65.
