PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- Georgia State used a four-run first inning and seven-run sixth inning to complete a series sweep of Drexel on Sunday afternoon. The Panthers hit four home runs in a 13-1, six-inning route, winning their eighth in a row and 15th in their last 18 games.
With the victory, Georgia State improved to 24-16 and 8-1 in the CAA. With previously unbeaten Hofstra falling to George Mason, the Panthers are now tied for first place in the league standings.
Drexel fell to 8-20, 1-8 in the CAA.
GSU wasted absolutely no time jumping all over the Dragons, scoring four runs in the first inning. After Jessica Clifton walked, Paige Nowacki doubled to left center, scoring Clifton. After a second out, Emily Whitaker doubled to left field, scoring Nowacki. Following Whitaker was Mason, who bashed her second homer of the season, this one to center field, to put the Panthers up 4-0 just seven minutes and two outs into the contest. The four runs chased starting pitcher Hillary Allen after only 0.2 innings of work.
GSU added to its lead in the third as senior Lauren Jones homered to right field. It was her third homer of the weekend and moves her just three homers from tying the GSU career record of 31. Her 10 homers this year are also tied for third in GSU history for a single season with former Panthers Lily Skelton (2007) and Buffie Chournos (1999).
An error by shortstop Devon Metcalf on a hit by Whitney Phillips allowed Whitaker to score after walking and moving to third on Maddy Stanton's single.
Nowacki added two more for the Panthers in the sixth with her second home run of the series, a two-run shot to left center. Drexel's Shelby Taylor was brought into the game in relief and was greeted by a three-run homer from Stanton, to increase the Panthers lead to 11-1.
Georgia State pushed two more runs across the plate in the sixth on a RBI groundout by Clifton and a single by Carrie Williams.
The seven-run inning gave the Panthers a commanding 13-1 lead, enough to invoke the eight-run rule to end the game after Drexel failed to score in the bottom of the sixth.
The offensive leaders for the Panthers included Jones, 2-for-5 with a homer and two runs scored, Nowacki, 2-for-4 with a homer, three RBI and two runs scored, Whitaker, two walks and three runs scored, Mason, 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored, and Stanton, 2-for-2 with a homer, three RBI and one run scored.
Pitcher Kaitlyn Medlam (8-1) went five innings, allowing only an unearned run and five hits to pick up her second win of the weekend. In 15 conference innings, Medlam hasn't allowed an earned run to help pace a Panthers' rotation that sports a 0.55 ERA in CAA games.
The bats have been doing their fair share of the work too, as they are hitting .290 with 14 homers. Jones is hitting .500 with five homers and a 1.115 slugging percentage. Nowacki has a .407 average and three homers.
GSU will host Kennesaw State this Wednesday at 4 p.m. The Panthers swept the Owls earlier this season in Kennesaw, 1-0 and 3-1.
