Wilmington, N.C.-Georgia State rallied in the top of the ninth inning but fell to UNC Wilmington, 10-8, on Hunter Ridge's walk-off home run as the Panthers were eliminated from the Colonial Athletic Association Championship Friday at Brooks Field.
Senior Bradley Logan and junior Joey Wood drove in three runs in the top of the ninth as Georgia State rallied to take an 8-7 lead, but the Panthers end their season at 34-23-1. Despite dropping two straight in the double-elimination tournament, Georgia State posted the second-best win total in school history.
UNCW (31-26), which also got a grand slam and five runs batted in from Robbie Monday, stays alive to play tonight against the loser of the James Madison-VCU contest.
With Georgia State trailing 7-5 and two outs in the ninth inning, Logan, who had two walk-off homers during the season, came to the plate with runners at first and third. He smacked the 2-2 pitch to the wall in left center to tie the game. Then Wood delivered a double just inside the bag at third to score Logan with the go-ahead run.
GSU reliever David Buchanan retired the first two Seahawks in the bottom of the ninth before Grayson Evans drew a two-out walk. After Monday walked to put runners at first and second, closer Justin Malone relieved Buchanan, and Ridge hit his first pitch over the right field wall for the victory.
"It's really difficult to take, but I'm so proud of the team because they never quit," said GSU head coach Greg Frady. "It's been a roller-coaster of a season - we started poorly, then we finished strong before losing two very close games here. But that's baseball. This is my 23rd of coaching and I can't think of 10 walk-off games I've been involved in until this season, when we had five walk-off losses and five walk-off wins.
"Of course we're disappointed we didn't have better results here, but we had a really good season."
Trailing 7-3, Georgia State sliced the deficit in half in the seventh as Moniz belted a two-run homer over the center field wall, the 10th round tripper of the season for the senior leftfielder that pulled the Panthers within 7-5. After Logan walked, Steven Davis relieved UNCW starter Justin Bradley and struck out Wood to end the inning.
Still down by two in the ninth, Mark Micowski drew a one-out walk, and after Brett Maxwell flew out, Moniz singled to center field to set the stage for Logan.
The Panthers got on the board first with three runs in the third. Shane Hammond led off the inning with a double to the left field corner and then moved to third on a sacrifice. Mark Micowski drove Hammond home with an infield single and moved to second on a wild throw. Then Moniz and Ryan Fleming delivered two-out, run-scoring singles to put the Panthers ahead, 3-0.
But UNCW answered in their half of the inning. The Seahawks loaded the bases on an infield single and a pair of walks, bringing top hitter Robbie Monday to the plate with two outs. The left-handed hitting first baseman blasted the first pitch well over the left field fence for a grand slam and a 4-3 lead for the Seahawks.
The Seahawks added to their lead with two runs in the fifth as Grayson Evans tripled home a run and then scored on a groundout. Mike Rooney's sacrifice fly tacked on another run, and UNCW led 7-3 after six.
Neither starting pitcher figured in the decision. GSU starter Charley Olsen gave up six runs on eight hits with five strikeouts and four walks, while Bradley struck out eight in 6-2/3 innings, allowing five runs on seven hits for the Seahawks.
UNCW reliever Stephen Harrold (3-2) gave up two runs in the top of the ninth but earned the win. Buchanan (4-2) took the loss for GSU.
"I want to give credit to UNC Wilmington," said Frady. "They played extremely hard. You knew it was going to be a game that came down to the last out."
In their final game in a Panther uniform, the seniors Logan and Moniz combined for four hits and five RBI.
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