PANTHERSVILLE, Ga. — Georgia State (23-12) split a midweek doubleheader against Furman (18-15) with a 6-2 loss and a 3-1 victory at the Heck Softball Complex on Wednesday afternoon.
Game 1: Furman 6, GSU 2
Furman registered 13 hits, the most allowed by the Panther pitchers since February 16 against Presbyterian. The two teams combined for 20 hits in the ballgame.
Taylor Jenkins hit a solo home run in the second to give the visiting Paladins an early lead. With runners at second and third in the fifth inning, Brenna Morrissey hit a two-RBI single to put the Panthers on top briefly.
Morrissey and Whitney Phillips both had a pair of hits for the Panthers. Audrey Mason also contributed a stolen base to the GSU offensive effort.
Furman answered with three runs in the sixth inning to retake the lead. The Paladins then added two more in the seventh inning to secure the victory.
Kaitlyn Medlam suffered the loss after allowing two runs in relief of starter Katie Worley, who gave up a pair of runs over 5.1 innings pitched. Eron Milton also contributed 1.1 innings pitched.
Game 2: GSU 3, Furman 1
Georgia State pushed across three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning on two hits and a pair of Paladin errors to earn a 3-1 victory in the second game of the doubleheader.
Taylor Anderson opened the sixth with a double and moved to third on a wild pitch. After Morrissey walked, the Panthers attempted a double steal and the Furman catcher committed a throwing error to allow both base runners to score.
Worley pitched a complete game to earn her 10th win of the season. The freshman held Furman to only one run on five hits and struck out six batters.
The Panthers were outhit in the contest, but made the most of the Paladin errors and used good base running to earn their runs.
Nikki Legg hit a triple to start the third inning for Furman. She scored the Paladin's lone run of the game on an error. Both teams combined to make five errors in the field, no doubt in part to the rains which started to fall around the fifth inning.
Two walks in the game give Lauren Coleman 34 on the season, which the third-most bases on balls in a single season in school history.
Georgia State travels to Towson, Md. for a three-game CAA series against the Tigers on April 6-7.
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