Lafayette, La. -- Georgia State fell at fifth-ranked UL Lafayette 8-3 Friday night at M.L. "Tigue" Field in the opener of a Sun Belt Conference series.

Nic Wilson hit his ninth homer of the season for Georgia State (10-12, 1-3 Sun Belt), a towering blast to left field to lead off the second inning left field on the first pitch he saw from Robichaux. That was just the second homer allowed all season by the entire ULL staff.

Wilson, the senior first baseman, entered the weekend as the NCAA leader in slugging percentage and No. 3 in home runs.

ULL (20-2, 4-0 Sun Belt) starter Austin Robichaux (4-1) was dominant, striking out eight in eight innings of work while allowing two runs on just two hits.

GSU starter Kenny Anderson (2-2) pitched 5.1 innings, allowing five runs on eight hits with three strikeouts, two walks and two hit batters.

ULL took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on two-run double by Ryan Wilson, and Wilson answered to lead off the second and pull the Panthers within 2-1.

The score remained that way until the fifth, when Caleb Adams' two-run homer to right field put the Ragin' Cajuns ahead 4-1.

ULL added a run in the sixth and three more in the seventh to move ahead 8-1.

Georgia State managed a run in the eighth on Chad Prain's RBI-groundout. The Panthers loaded the bases with two outs after Robichaux issued back-to-back walks to Matt Rose and Wilson, but the ULL right-hander got Chase Raffield to ground out to end the inning.

"He was the preseason Pitcher of the Year in the Sun Belt for a reason, and tonight he looked the part," GSU head coach Greg Frady said of Robichaux. "I thought he did a great job pitching against us. We have a very good offense, but we couldn't get a lot going against him.

"Tip of the cap to him and their team. We knew the Sun Belt Conference would be challenging, and this is one of the more challenging places to play."

The Panthers scored one more in the ninth on a fielder's choice by pinch hitter Jody Stone for the final 8-3 margin.

The series continues Saturday at 3 p.m. ET in a game that will air on ESPN3.