What You Need to Know:

* Georgia State handed Ohio its first loss with a 10-8 victory Friday.

* David Levy drove in three runs. Matt Rose had two hits and earned his first save.

* Series continues Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.)

ATLANTA -- David Levy drove in three runs, and Matt Rose collected two hits and his first save as Georgia State (5-4) won 10-8 to hand Ohio (6-1) its first loss Friday at the GSU Baseball Complex.

With the game tied at 7-7 in the sixth inning, freshman Will Johnson delivered a two-out, RBI-double to center field to score Rose, who singled and moved to second on a groundout, and give Georgia State the lead for good. Johnson came around to score on an error for a 9-7 advantage. The rookie from Atlanta finished 2-for-2 with two RBI, three runs scored and three walks on the day.

After Ohio answered with Tyler Wells' solo homer in the seventh to pull within 9-8, Levy produced a key insurance run in the eighth. Johnson walked to lead off the frame and then moved to second on a wild pitch. After Justin Jones drew a one-out walk to put runners at first and second, Levy poked a single into right field on a hit-and-run to score Johnson.

"Any time you go into the ninth with more than a one-run lead, you eliminate a lot of options for the other team, so that was a huge run," Georgia State head coach Greg Frady said. "David did a good job today."

Then Rose, the talented right-hander, moved from first base to make his first mound appearance of the season and quickly recorded three outs for the save. The junior from Melbourne, Fla., who leads the nation with five home runs, had a single and a double today, along with two intentional walks and two runs scored. He also made two exceptional defensive plays at first base.

"Matt is a great player," Frady added. "Of course he got the save, and he had a good day offensively. He got pitched around, and that's just the way it's going to be, but he stayed patient. He's a great player - we're lucky to have Matt Rose."

Rose added, "It felt good to be on the mound and help my team get a win."

Georgia State jumped in front with a five-run second inning, keyed by Levy. Rose led off with a double, Johnson drew a one-out walk, and Sam Few singled to left to bring home Rose. After Jones, another freshman, beat out an infield single to load the bases, Levy hit a long single to left field to score two and put the Panthers ahead 3-0. Another run came home when James Clements was hit by a pitch with bases load, and then Joey Roach's sacrifice fly gave GSU the early 5-0 lead.

"We are really focusing on playing good defense, and we did that today," said Levy, the Panthers' second baseman. "I was just trying to get on base, and I'm glad I was able to come through with some big hits to help us win."

Caden Bailey homered to lead off the third inning, his first round-tripper of the season increasing the Panthers' lead to 6-1. In the fourth, Johnson worked a bases-loaded walk for a 7-1 advantage.

But Ohio struck for four runs in the fifth off starter Nathan Bates, who allowed five runs on eight hits and did not figure in the decision. The Bobcats tied the game in the sixth on Jake Madsen's two-run double.

GSU reliever Marc-Andre Habeck (2-0) earned the victory.

"I really want to credit to our guys for hanging in there and finding a way to win," Frady said. "Ohio came in here undefeated, and they're a really good team. So many guys did their jobs to give us a chance to win. It just feels good to win."

The series continues with games scheduled for Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. at the GSU Baseball Complex. Tickets are priced at just $5 and are available on gameday.