What You Need to Know:
* Ryan Blanton tripled in the 11th inning and scored on Rhett Harper's walk-off squeeze bunt
* Blanton, National Player of the Week, stayed hot with four hits and is 15-for-22 in last four games
* Joey Roach hit two homers and Matt Rose hit his seventh (second in NCAA)
* Panthers have won four straight and nine of last 11
ATLANTA -- Ryan Blanton tripled in the 11th inning and scored on Rhett Harper's walk-off, suicide squeeze bunt to give Georgia State a 12-11 victory over Florida A&M Tuesday at the GSU Baseball Complex.
Blanton, named National Player of the Week Monday, stayed hot with four hits and is now 15-for-22 in his last four games. Joey Roach homered twice, and Matt Rose hit his seventh of the season to rank second in the nation.
Georgia State (13-6) has won four in a row and nine of its last 11 games. The Panthers never trailed in the game, but the score was tied four different times.
The game was even at 7-7 when the Panthers scored four in the bottom of the eighth, all with two outs. Blanton doubled with one out, moved to third on a fly ball and then scored on Caden Bailey's single to right field. Then Rose crushed a two-run homer to left to put the Panthers ahead 10-7. After Roach singled and Jack Thompson walked, GSU added another run on Sam Few's down the left field line to take an 11-7 lead into the ninth.
Rose came on to pitch the ninth, and FAMU (7-12) loaded the bases with one out on an infield single and a pair of walks. Marlon Gibbs hit a slow roller to third, and freshman Mitchell Benson, who replaced Rose at third, threw wildly to first, allowing three runs to score. Rose struck out Ryan Kennedy, but A.J. Ellis dropped a single into center field, allowing Gibbs to trot home from third with the tying run.
Kevin Burgee relieved Rose, got the third out and then tossed a scoreless 10th, with help from a diving catch by Blanton in center field. Wayne Wages (2-0) pitched the 11th to earn the victory. Alex Carrasco (0-4) took the loss for FAMU.
"I guess March Madness is everywhere," GSU head coach Greg Frady said. "And it's St. Patrick's Day and the other team has green in their uniforms. It was just a true mid-week game, where it was back and forth.
"Clutch performances by Kevin Burgee and Wayne Wages on the mound, and clutch hitting by Ryan Blanton, Caden Bailey and Rhett Harper executing the squeeze play," Frady continued. "Matt Rose homered and Joey Roach had two home runs, but the guy who is really hot for us in Ryan Blanton. He had the play everyone will remember with the triple to give us that chance. It just feels good to win."
Besides the triple in the 11th, Blanton led off the game with a single, had a run-scoring single in the second, and doubled and scored in the eighth to break a 7-7 tie.
On the final play, Frady said, "We haven't squeezed very much to win a game, but this wacky game deserved a wacky way to end it, and that's how we did it."
The Panthers won in extra innings for the second time in three games. In both games, Blanton tripled in the final inning and scored the winning run. Those are the only career triples for the sophomore center fielder.
Georgia State plays again Wednesday with a 4 p.m. game at Savannah State. The Panthers will be at home this weekend for a Sun Belt Conference series against defending champion UL Lafayette, beginning Friday at 6 p.m. Call 404-413-4020 for tickets.
