ATLANTA -- The Georgia State softball team pounded out 24 hits and scored 12 runs in a doubleheader sweep of Furman on Wednesday in Panthersville. GSU won game one, 4-1, before claiming game two, 8-0, in six innings.
Pitcher Alana Thomas (5-6) allowed only one run in game one to pick up the win, while reliever Erin Collins hurled three scoreless innings to earn her seventh save, which is tied for the national lead.
GSU cranked out a season high 18 hits to run rule the Paladins, 8-0, in game two. Six Panthers had at least two hits. Freshman Kaitlyn Medlam (6-1) and McCall Langford threw a combined two-hitter.
The Panthers have won five straight games and 12 of their last 15.
The pitching staff lowered it's team ERA to 2.26, including 0.82 with eight saves during GSU's 12-3 streak.
GSU (21-16, 5-1 CAA) heads north once again this weekend, this time to Philadelphia, Pa., for a three-game series with the Drexel Dragons. A doubleheader on Saturday at noon will be followed by the series finale on Sunday at noon.
GAME ONE - Georgia State 4, Furman 1
Senior Tiffany Bess went 2-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored, while sophomore Paige Nowacki hit her fourth homer of the year as the Panthers claimed game one, 4-1.
Thomas went four innings, allowing one run on three hits. Collins picked up her seventh save after giving up only three hits in three innings of work.
The Panthers got a pair of runs in the second to take the early 2-0 lead. Nowacki opened the inning with a bomb to left center to plate the first run of the contest. After one out, Whitney Phillips drew a walk and then stole two bases to put herself in scoring position. Bess singled up the middle to bring Bess home.
Furman scored its lone run of the doubleheader in the third inning as Stephanie Spain knocked a double to left center, scoring Stephanie Field.
In the fifth, Bess hit a single and stole second before scoring on Megan Kallatsa's double down the right field line. After the inning was kept alive by an error by leftfielder Katie Michaels, Jessica Clifton walked. With Lauren Jones at the plate, Clifton stole second and Emily Whitaker stole home to give GSU some cushion with a 4-1 lead, which proved to be enough behind Collins' arm.
GAME TWO - Georgia State 8, Furman 0 (6)
GSU scored eight runs on a season-high 18 hits to run-rule the Paladins, 8-0, in game two.
Medlam went four innings, allowing only a pair of hits while striking out three to pick up her sixth win of the season. Langford tossed two no-hit innings to close out the Paladins.
Phillips, Nowacki, Audrey Mason and Emily Althafer all had two hits, while Emily Whitaker and Chelsea Sparks each contributed three hits. Phillips notched two RBI and Jones slammed her seventh homer of the season to move her into second place in GSU history with 25 career homers.
Lauren Collier (5-12) suffered the loss for Furman, while Field and Emily Boyer picked up the Paladins only hits.
GSU opened up the scoring in the third inning with three runs. Whitaker opened the inning with a double and later scored on a fielding error by third baseman Emily Boyer that would have ended the inning. Nowacki stepped up and slapped a single through the left side, scoring Sparks. Mason ended the scoring with a single to centerfield that scored Jones.
In the fourth GSU pushed its lead to 7-0 with four runs. Brenna Morrissey laid down a bunt single that brought home Whitaker to open up the scoring onslaught. Later in the inning Phillips doubled to left center and got tossed out trying to make it to third for the triple, but not before Morrissey and Sparks scampered home. Jones stepped up and crushed a homer to left center to score GSU's final run of the inning.
The run-rule went into effect in the sixth inning as Whitaker's single through the left side scored Mason to end the contest.
