ATLANTA—Georgia State rallied from an 8-2 deficit to tie the game, but Hofstra managed four runs in the seventh inning to earn a 12-9 victory Saturday at the GSU Baseball Complex, evening the Colonial Athletic Association series at one game apiece.
Georgia State had its six-game CAA winning streak snapped, but the Panthers (33-19, 12-11 CAA) have won 17 of their last 23 games. Hofstra improved to 24-25, 9-14 CAA.
The series concludes with a 1 p.m. game Sunday, and four Georgia State seniors will be honored prior to the game.
Chris Triplett and Chad Prain homered for the Panthers, and Triplett's three-run double capped a six-run fifth inning that tied the game at 8-8.
The Panthers had a golden opportunity to take the lead in the seventh, loading the bases with one out, but Hofstra reliever John Tiedemann (2-5) induced an inning-ending double play, the third twin-killing of the day by the Pride.
Then Hofstra took the lead for good with four runs in the seventh. Jared Hammer and Robbie Cafiero opened the inning with back to back singles, and then Kevin Brantley put the Pride ahead with a double to left field, scoring Hammer. With one out, T.J. Ehrsam reached on a slow grounder to the third base side of the mound, scoring Cafiero for a two-run lead. Then Austin Nyman's bunt to the first base side was fielded by pitcher Ben Burns, but no one was covering first base, allowing Nyman to reach and Brantley to score. Joe Perez's sacrifice fly to center field provided the final run of the inning, and the Pride led 12-8.
Georgia State jumped in front in the first inning on Prain's solo home run. The Panthers' shortstop and leading hitter ripped the 2-1 pitch down the left field line for his fourth homer of the season. He went 4-for-5 on the day with three RBI.
But Hofstra chased GSU starter Garrett Ford with six runs in the second inning. The Pride loaded the bases with no outs on a hit batter and two singles, and then Bryan Verbitsky singled home one run, and Ehrsam added a two-run single. After a sacrifice bunt by Nyman, Verbitsky scored on a wild pitch, and then Kenny Jackson's double down the right field line brought home two more and gave Hofstra a 6-1 lead.
Triplett led off the bottom of the second with his second homer in as many days and third this week, belting the 2-2 pitch to straight away center field. But Hofstra added single runs in the third and fourth innings, including Jackson's solo homer in the fourth, to lead 8-2 after four.
That's when the Panthers put together a six-run inning of their own. Pinch hitter James Clements led off with a single up the middle, and then freshman Josh Merrigan doubled over the center fielder's head, putting runners at second and third. Prain ripped a double to the gap in left center to score two runs, and Chase Raffield followed with a double to right center to plate Prain. After Nic Wilson walked, Caden Bailey's bunt single loaded the bases with no outs for Triplett, who smashed a bases-clearing, three-run double to left center to tie game at 8-8.
Georgia State managed one run in the ninth on a run-scoring single by Matt Rose.
Triplett, the junior left fielder from Fayetteville, Ga., went 2-for-3 with a career-high four RBI, giving him seven in the series.
Raffield was 4-for-5, and Merrigan had two hits to extend his hitting streak to 14 games.
Aidan McLaughlin (1-4) took the loss for GSU.
