WOODSTOCK, Ga. -- The Georgia State softball team dropped a pair of games on day one of the Phyliss Rafter Memorial hosted by Kennesaw State in Woodstock, Ga.
The Panthers (5-8) face off against Mississippi State at 1 p.m. and Purdue at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. Both games will be available via live stats.
GAME ONE - Tennessee State 5, Georgia State 0
The Panthers fell to Tennessee State, 5-0, in game one. A pair of homers, a solo shot and a grand slam, produced the runs for the Tigers.
After a solo homer by Jasmine Dunston gave the Tigers the early 1-0 lead in the second inning, a grand slam in the fifth by Brittany Webb extended TSU's lead to 5-0.
The Panthers made contact all day as the Tigers' starting pitcher Kelly Troglin (2-1) failed to strikeout a GSU batter. However, the contact resulted in mostly groundouts and fly outs while yielding only three hits. Jessica Clifton, Audrey Mason and Emily Whitaker produced the hits for GSU.
Starting pitcher Alana Thomas (1-4) suffered the loss, allowing two runs on six hits. Reliever Kaitlyn Medlam allowed her first runs of the season on the grand slam.
GAME TWO - Bowling Green 4, Georgia State 3
Bowling Green scored three runs in the fifth inning to overcome a 3-1 deficit as the Falcons defeated the Panthers, 4-3.
After GSU starter McCall Langford exited after four innings with a 3-1 lead, reliever Kaitlyn Medlam gave up a solo homer to Hannah Fulk during the first at-bat. Bowling Green added three more runs, aided by three GSU errors, to take the 4-3 lead.
For the game the Panthers struck out 14 times. The Falcons used three pitchers, with starter Erin Greenwalt striking out six and winning pitcher Zada Lines (1-0) striking out seven.
GSU scored three runs in the fourth to move ahead, 3-1. Whitney Phillips, Paige Nowacki, and Tiffany Bess all doubled to lead the Panthers. Bess' double drove in two runs. However, with bases loaded and no outs, a strike out and two straight grounders that failed to leave the infield stranded three runners.
Trailing by one in the ninth, GSU managed a pair of hits and had bases loaded with two outs, but Bess struck out to the end the game after getting ahead in the count, 3-0.
The loss marked the fourth straight for the Panthers, with three of the four coming by two runs or fewer.
