Panthers Start 2012 With a Pair of Wins

Softball Robert Carnes/Sports Communications

Panthers Start 2012 With a Pair of Wins

PANTHERSVILLE, Ga. — The Georgia State softball team earned a pair of season opening victories against Lonwood and ETSU Saturday at the Robert E. Heck Softball Complex.

A total of 319 fans braved the cold temperatures and strong winds to see the first four games in day one of the 2012 GSU First Pitch Classic.

Game 1: GSU 3, Longwood 2

The Panthers scored all three of their runs in the top of the sixth inning. Lauren Coleman started the rally with a one-out, solo homer. Paige Nowacki followed with a single and pinch runner Ashley Christy sole second. Catcher Callie Alford then drove in two with a home run.

Both Coleman and Nowacki were 2-for-3 on the day. Alford went 1-for-2 at the plate with a walk. Audrey Mason added a single for the Panthers.

Kaitlyn Medlam threw 2.1 innings in relief to earn the win for GSU. McCall Langford got the start for the Panthers and went 4.2 innings, allowing two runs on four hits while recording eight strikeouts.

Longwood got one run in the bottom of the third inning and added another in the fourth off of a Jordan Cox solo home run.

Lancers starting pitcher Libby Morris held the Panthers scoreless through five innings. Morris earned the win for the Lancers in the first game of the tournament, 11-10 against Western Carolina.

Game 2: GSU 11, ETSU 2

Five runs on seven hits in the top of the seven inning turned a 6-2 lead into an 11-2 final margin of victory for Georgia State. Carrie Williams and Emily Althafer both had two-run homers in the inning.

Georgia State notched a pair of runs in the first inning with a Callie Alford two RBI single. The Panthers struck again in the top of the fourth inning with four more runs. The outburst featured a Jessica Clifton two-RBI triple.

The Buccaneers answered with two runs in their half of the fourth, but stranded the bases loaded after the Panthers called reliever Erin Collins from the pen.

Collins worked 2.2 innings in relief of starter Alana Thomas to earn the win. Thomas tossed three scoreless innings before giving up the two-spot in the fourth. Emily Clay also pitched one spotless inning to finish the game.

ETSU stater Kara Woods pitched 7.0 allowing 11 runs on 17 Panther hits. The Buccaneers fell in their first game of the tournament 5-4 to Western Carolina.

The second day of the First Pitch Classic will resume tomorrow morning at 10 am with a match-up between ETSU and Longwood.

www.GeorgiaStateSports.com

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