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Head Coach Greg Frady
Senior Ryan Moore
Junior Rob Lind
ATLANTA - Senior Ryan Moore pitched a complete game six-hitter and secured the Panthers a spot in the 2010 CAA Championship as the Georgia State baseball team earned a 10-4 win over Northeastern on Sunday afternoon at the Field at Panthersville. Georgia State will look to defend its 2009 CAA Championship beginning on May 27th in Wilmington, N.C.
Moore (3-2) pitched his first complete game of the season, striking out eight in the victory. It was the third complete game of his two-year Panther career. His last secured State a spot in the CAA Championship Game last May.
"It felt really good today on the mound," commented Moore after the game. "Everything was there from my fastball to location. The offense came through and when they do, everything comes easier."
With the win, Georgia State improved to 31-20-1 overall and 14-6-1 in the CAA. The Panthers are 20-6 at home this season including an 8-1 mark at the friendly confines in conference action. Northeastern dropped to 12-28 overall and 5-16 in conference with the loss.
"It feels great," commented head coach Greg Frady after the win. "I am so happy for everyone in our organization, from our players, our coaches, all the people who support us, all the way up to the administration and president's office. Everyone takes a lot of pride in seeing our baseball team be successful and we want to represent the university well. To return to Wilmington this year is extra special since only four teams will qualify."
The offense belted out 12 hits, led by junior Rob Lind who went 3-for-5 at the plate with a run scored and three RBIs.
The Panthers got things going in the top of the first when redshirt-junior Brett Maxwell singled to left and scored a batter later when senior Carl Moniz grounded out. Maxwell had advanced to third on a wild pitch and error by Northeastern catcher John Puttress.
Junior Ryan Fleming followed two batters later with a single to left, scoring senior Bradley Logan, who had singled a batter early to give the Panthers a 2-0 lead.
Later in the inning, Lind singled home Fleming as State took a 3-0 lead as the Panthers never trailed.
Lind struck again in the bottom of the third, scoring Logan, who had led off the inning by being hit by a pitch.
Northeastern's Frank Compagnone belted a three-run home run in the top of the fourth, cutting the Panthers lead to 4-3, but that is as close as the Huskies would get.
State struck again with two in the fifth. Sophomore Justin Malone singled through the left side, scoring Lind to give the Panthers a 5-3 lead. The Panthers loaded the bases with two outs and plated a run on a wild pitch by Huskies starter Andrew Leenhouts to increase their lead to three.
Sophomore Brandon Willaims collected his 67th RBI of the season with a ground out to third in the fifth, scoring Logan to give the Panthers a 7-3 lead. Lind followed with a triple down the right field line, scoring Ryan Fleming to give the Panthers an 8-3 lead.
Williams is now just three RBIs shy of the school record of 70 set by Jay Langston during the 1999 season.
Leenhouts (3-3) allowed 11 hits and eight runs, seven of which were earned in taking the loss. He walked five and struck out three, throwing 115 pitches.
State responded with two more in the bottom of the seventh. Malone led off the inning by being hit by a pitch and scored on a Joey Wood double to left center. Two batters later, Moniz grounded out to second, scoring Wood to give the Panthers a 10-3 lead.
The Huskies added one run in the ninth, before Moore was able to finish the complete game. Moore's first complete game as a Panther came one year ago, securing the Panthers a spot in the CAA Championship against Towson.
Wood batted lead-off, going 2-for-4 at the plate with a run scored and an RBI. Logan scored three times, while Fleming added a pair of runs. Moniz added a pair of RBIs in the win.
David Gustafson led the Huskies at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
The Panthers will be back in action on Tuesday, travelling across town to face No. 6 Georgia Tech at Russ Chandler Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. It will mark the Panthers first trip back to Tech since the NCAA Atlanta Regional last June.
The game will air live on WRAS-FM 88.5 beginning with the Panther Pregame Show at 5:30 p.m.
Tickets for the Panthers remaining three home games can be purchased by calling 1-866-GA-STATE or by visiting GeorgiaStateSports.com. State will take on William & Mary beginning next Friday night at 6 p.m. Live stats of all Panther games are provided via GeorgiaStateSports.com.
-www.GeorgiaStateSports.com-
