ATLANTA- Senior Brandon Williams had his second career multi-home run game, launching two long balls and driving in five runs, but the Georgia State baseball team dropped a 15-13 slugfest to James Madison in its Colonial Athletic Association finale Sunday at the GSU Baseball Complex.
The Panthers smacked a season-high four homers on the day, as Joey Wood belted his first of the season and Jonathan Kolowich hit his third.
The game was tied 9-9 after seven innings but a six-run eighth for JMU made the difference as the Dukes pounded out 16 hits and were aided by four Panther errors.
GSU fell to 4-2 in CAA play and 11-14 overall but earned its second all-time series victory over the Dukes with wins Friday and Saturday. JMU (6-17-1, 1-8) picked up its first conference win of the year Sunday with a school-record 11 stolen bases in the game.
Panther starter Max Schmitz went four innings, allowing five runs on six hits but did not factor into the decision. GSU knocked Dukes starter Ben Garner out of the game after just 1.1 innings, breaking through for five runs.
Williams and Kolowich finished the three-game series with seven RBIs apiece.
"Today didn't go our way but we fought hard and did a lot of things right," said Panthers head coach Greg Frady. "I am really pleased with the way our seniors stepped up to deliver this important series victory for our team."
With GSU down 2-1 in the second inning, Wood and Williams each belted home runs as GSU batted around and scored six times to surge in front, 7-2.
The Dukes scored the next seven runs of the game however, eventually taking a 9-7 advantage after Colby Roberts' sixth-inning RBI groundout.
Williams then launched his second home run of the game with a man aboard in the seventh to tie the game, 9-9.
The Dukes responded by scoring six times in the eighth on four hits and two walks, keyed by Connor Brown's two-run single.
The Panthers weren't quite finished, scoring four times in the bottom of the inning as Kolowich launched a three-run shot to make it 15-13.
Dukes reliever Michael Howerton shut down the Panther bats in the ninth however to end the game and earn the save.
Fourteen of GSU's 25 games this year have been decided by two runs or less, including all three against the Dukes.
Panthers Caden Bailey and Drew Shields each added two hits and combined to score five times Sunday.
The Panthers will return to action Wednesday by hosting Savannah State (8-14) at 5 p.m. before traveling to George Mason (15-10, 4-5) for a three-game CAA weekend series.
