Montgomery, Ala.- Junior Greg Bowder had three hits and the Georgia State baseball team raced out to a 6-0 lead in the opening inning but was done-in by an eight-run eighth inning by Alabama State in a 14-9 loss Tuesday night at the Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex in Montgomery.
Five different Panthers had multiple hits in the game as each team piled up 14 in the contest.
GSU fell to 9-13 on the season while Alabama State improved to 8-16 with the victory.
The Panthers jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first inning, batting around and chasing ASU starter Anthony Ricciardi from the game. The team belted five hits, including Scott Sarratt's fourth double of the season. Bowder's first hit of the day plated Sarratt and Caden Bailey as the Panthers extended the lead to six runs.
Hornets reliever Greg Matthews was much more effective, holding the Panthers to just three more scores over the next seven-plus innings as GSU did not score after the fourth.
With GSU up 7-2 in the fourth, Bowder and Mark Hogan each doubled as the Panthers added to the cushion with two more scores, making it 9-2.
The Hornets scored three times in the bottom of the inning to chip away at the lead.
Panther starter Jerry Stuckey tossed a career-high 6.0 innings, striking out three and exiting with GSU holding a 9-6 lead.
The deciding frame came in the eighth, when ASU belted five hits, including Waldyvan Estrada's second home run of the game, en route to eight scores. The Hornets also drew three walks in the inning and scored on a wild pitch.
The Panthers attempted to ignite another comeback in the final inning, putting runners on the corners with one out, but a strikeout and groundout ended the game.
Bowder is now 10-for-16 (.625) at the plate with six RBIs since getting his first hit in Friday's 11-inning rally. After homering Sunday, freshman Alex Prescott scored once but did not have a hit in his first career start Tuesday.
Hogan, Drew Shields, Joel Van Asch and Brandon Williams each had two hits in the loss.
GSU returns to conference action this weekend against preseason favorite James Madison. Friday's game one at the GSU Baseball Complex is set for 6 p.m. The Panthers enter the weekend 2-1 in Colonial Athletic Association play while JMU is off to an 0-6 start.
