ATLANTA-Seniors Brandon Williams and Joey Wood each had three hits over two games but the Georgia State baseball team dropped a Saturday doubleheader to close out the home season with 4-1 and 11-6 losses to Delaware at the GSU Baseball Complex.
In game one, GSU mustered just three hits and fell victim to a strong pitching performance, while an unusually poor defensive performance, including eight errors, was the downfall in game two.
Senior Ben Marshall tossed his fourth complete game of the season in game one, tying a career best with seven strikeouts.
The Panthers fell to 22-30 and 12-15 in Colonial Athletic Association action while Delaware improved to 26-23 and 16-11 league play with the victories.
GSU has three games remaining in the season, a three-game series at Old Dominion next weekend as the Panthers attempt to regain a spot in the six-team CAA tournament.
Game One- Delaware 4, GSU 1
Making his final home start, Panther senior Ben Marshall (5-6) tossed his fourth complete game of the year, but GSU dropped a 4-1 decision to Delaware to start the doubleheader.
The Panthers struggled against Blue Hens starter Corey Crispell (6-3), who yielded just three hits over 8.0 innings and one score in the ninth.
Senior Landon Bennett extended his hitting streak to six games while Joey Wood had the only other Panther hits in the game.
Marshall took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, when Jimmy Yezzo's two-run double finally broke the scoreless tie. Delaware added a sacrifice fly in the inning to take a 3-0 lead.
Alex Maruri's solo homer led off the ninth to give the Blue Hens a 4-0 advantage.
The Panthers would add their only score in a comeback attempt in the ninth.
Wood led off the inning with a double off the wall that just missed leaving the yard. Caden Bailey then drove him in with a groundout to the right side three batters later, but it would be GSU's only tally of the game.
Marshall finished with seven strikeouts to tie a career high on the day, firing 120 pitches.
Game Two- Delaware 11, GSU 6
Eight defensive errors proved costly in the second game as GSU was only outhit 13-10.
After falling behind 7-0, the Panthers stormed back with a six-run sixth inning but could never draw equal as Delaware scored four more times late in the win.
Bennett ran his hit streak to seven games while Williams had a 3-for-5 effort and Greg Bowder and Kody Adams each added a pair of hits.
Yezzo homered to lead off the fourth inning for the game's first run. An RBI double from Stoltzfus then made it 2-0 and the Blue Hens third baseman scored on a Panther throwing error for a three-run Delaware lead.
After Delaware added one in the fifth, the floodgates opened in the sixth as three more unearned runs scored on Panther miscues.
The Panthers would then answer with six two-out runs in the bottom of the inning on five hits.
Three straight singles began the march, the last by Wood plated Bennett. Later in the inning with the bases loaded, pinch hitter Mark Hogan was hit to make it 7-2. Pinch hitter Greg Bowder singled to score Wood and Scott Sarratt as GSU pulled within three at 7-4. After Drew Shields was hit to load the bases again, Williams singled through the left side to plate two more as GSU scored its fifth and six runs of the inning.
Delaware was able to extend their lead in the top of the seventh with a run-scoring groundout and another unearned run on a fielding error for a 9-6 lead.
Yezzo's two-run homer in the eighth inning pushed the Panther deficit to 11-6, which would be the final score.
Senior Tyler Claburn (4-3) struck out two over 4.2 innings while Delaware starter Chad Kuhl (4-4) picked up the win.
The Panthers finished their home season with a 16-13 mark at the GSU Baseball Complex.
Their final three-game series begins Thursday at Old Dominion (18-31, 8-18 CAA) at 6 p.m.
