ATLANTA, Ga. -- The Georgia State softball team earned a pair of come-from-behind victories over Mercer, 8-5, and Tulsa, 5-4 in eight innings, Tuesday at Bob Heck Field in Panthersville. Lauren Jones belted a three-run home run to highlight a seven-run sixth inning as the Panthers rallied from a 5-1 deficit against Mercer, while Tiffany Bess and Danielle Roddy delivered run-scoring singles in the bottom of the eighth inning against Tulsa.
Freshman pitcher McCall Langford (6-1) earned the save against Mercer (14-14) and then tossed a complete victory against Tulsa (15-11). Roddy collected five hits and drove in four runs in the two games.
Earlier in the day, Tulsa defeated Mercer, 4-0.
GAME ONE - GEORGIA STATE 8, MERCER 5
Lauren Jones belted a three-run home run to highlight Georgia State's seven-run sixth inning as the Panthers erased a 5-1 deficit to earn an 8-5 victory over Mercer Tuesday at Bob Heck Field in Panthersville.
With GSU trailing 5-1, Danielle Roddy led off the sixth inning with a walk, and Audrey Mason followed with a single before Jones' blast to left center, her fourth homer of the season, pulled the Panthers within 5-4.
After Lily Skelton was hit by a pitch, Paige Nowacki reached on a sacrifice bunt when the pitcher threw wildly to first, and pinch runner Cassie Boese moved over to third. Nowacki stole second to put runners at second and third with one out, and Boese scored the tying run on a squeeze bunt by Rachel Cunningham.
Tiffany Bess put the Panthers ahead, 6-5, with a sacrifice fly, and then Roddy added the insurance with a two-run double.
The comeback against the Bears was the second time the Panthers had rallied against Mercer in four days as GSU scored two runs in the seventh on Saturday to defeat its in-state rival, 3-2.
Erin Collins (3-2) earned the victory with 1-2/3 innings in relief, and McCall Langford pitched a scoreless seventh to earn her second save.
Mercer starter Jenni Holtz (9-9) struck out eight while limiting the Panthers to just one run through five innings, that coming on Mason's solo homer in the fourth, her second of the season.
Jones was 2-for-3 with a homer and three RBI to lead the Panthers. Roddy added a hit and two RBI.
GAME TWO - GEORGIA STATE 5, TULSA 4 (8)
Tiffany Bess singled to third base, scoring Cassie Boese and Roddy singled to second base to score Bess as the Panthers overcame a one-run deficit in the bottom of the eighth inning to defeat Tulsa, 5-4. GSU improved to 3-0 in extra-inning contests this season and improved to 5-1 in one-run games.
After trailing 2-0 at the end of the first on a two-run homer from Samantha Cobb, the Panthers answered in the second with three runs. Emily Whitaker, who broke her batting drought today with two hits and a RBI, singled down the left field line, scoring Rachel Cunningham. Roddy next scored Bess on a ground out before Whitaker scored on an Audrey Mason single to end the inning.
Tulsa tied the game in the fifth on a Cobb ground out that scored Caitlin Everett.
After the Golden Hurricane scored a run in the top of the eighth on a throwing error by Rebecca Roles, the Panthers scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth to win the contest.
Leading the way for the Panthers was Roddy, who went 4-for-5 with two RBI in the contest. Mason and Bess both picked up a pair of hits and a RBI. Cobb was 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBI in the loss.
Langford (6-1) pitched her third complete game of the season, going all eight innings allowing one earned run on nine hits. Jackie Lawrence (5-5) suffered the loss for Tulsa.
