Wilmington, N.C.- Seniors Rob Lind, Brett Maxwell and Ryan Fleming all belted home runs on Saturday, but Georgia State (33-15, 13-10 CAA) fell, 8-4 and 6-1, to drop a Colonial Athletic Association doubleheader to UNC Wilmington (26-21, 14-9 CAA) at Brooks Field.
Jake Koenig's seventh inning grand slam for the Seahawks proved to be the difference in the series opener, while Fleming's solo home run was all the offense the Panthers could muster in falling in game two.
"I don't think it was a lack of effort today," head coach Greg Frady said. "The boys played hard, we hit some balls right at people on the money and it just didn't go our way. We just couldn't get into a position today where we could take control."
Game One- UNCW 8, GSU 4
The Seahawks took a 1-0 lead in the second inning off Panther starter Charley Olson on an RBI groundout, then made it 3-0 on Andrew Cain's two-run homer in the third.
Rob Lind cut the deficit to two in the fourth inning with a line drive shot over the wall in right field off Seahawks starter Daniel Cropper, his eighth home run of the season, making it 3-1.
UNC Wilmington threatened again in the sixth inning, but Panther reliever Nick Squeglia came in the game to strike out Matt Campbell with runners at first and third to keep GSU within striking distance.
Panther senior Brett Maxwell didn't waste any time in pulling the Panthers even in the top of the next inning, blasting a two-run homer over the wall in left field after Ryan Fleming drew a leadoff walk, tying the game, 3-3.
The Seahawks took the lead again in the bottom of the seventh by walking in a runner with the bases loaded. Koenig then launched a grand slam to give UNCW an 8-3 lead.
The Panthers added a final run in the ninth inning when Mark Micowski extended his hit streak to 18 games by singling home Aaron Schmitz, but GSU could not draw any closer.
Squeglia (4-3) took the loss, while Seahawks reliever Andrew Harnage (2-1) picked up the win.
Olson started the game with 5.2 innings on the mound for the Panthers, allowing three runs- two earned- on seven hits, with three walks and four strikeouts.
Game Two- UNCW 6, GSU 1
The Seahawks struck first once again in game two, with David Shambley's two-run homer to left that made it 2-0. It was just the fourth home run allowed by Panther starter Will Campbell in his first 69 innings pitched on the season.
The Seahawks added two solo home runs in the fourth to claim a 4-0 lead.
The slugfest continued in the fifth inning as Ryan Fleming pulled the Panthers to within three on a solo home run to left field off UNCW starter Travis Bradley, his team-leading 13th homer of the season.
After the Seahawks put runners on second and third with two outs in the sixth, Panther freshman pitcher Sam Agnew-Wieland came in to induce a fly ball to center field to end the threat and keep GSU close.
Senior lefty Wes Grant followed with another impressive performance an inning later for the Panthers, coming in to strand Seahawks at first and second by retiring the first three batters he faced.
The Panthers loaded the bases in the eighth inning, but Rob Lind's flyout to left field ended the threat.
"We just couldn't produce the big hit that we needed today," Frady said.
UNC Wilmington added two runs to their lead in the bottom of the eighth with a two-run double by Cameron Cockman.
William Prince pitched the final six outs of the game to earn his fourth save of the season.
Mark Micowski went 0-for-4 in game two to end his 18-game hitting streak, the longest by any Panther this season. He falls four games shy of tying Bradley Logan's school-record 22-game run.
Campbell, the CAA's co-leader with seven wins, fell to 7-2 on the season with the game two loss. He threw 5.2 innings, allowing four runs on eight hits. Bradley moved to 2-4 on the season with the win for the Seahawks.
The Panthers will look to take game three of the series on Sunday behind junior Justin Malone. First pitch at Brooks Field is now slated for 1 p.m.
"We've put ourselves in a position where we need to come out tomorrow and play well to get this series back in a way where we can move forward," Frady added.
