What you need to know:
*Callie Alford hit her 33rd career homer in Game 2 to become the all-time home run leader in GSU history.
* Ivie Drake finished with five RBI on the day and Lauren Coleman drove in four in two games.
* The Panthers drop to 23-9 overall and 5-3 in Sun Belt play this year.
* The series against No. 24 South Alabama concludes on Sunday, March 29 at 12 p.m.
ATLANTA – The Panthers hit six homers and scored 18 runs, but it was not enough as Georgia State dropped both games of a doubleheader to No. 24 South Alabama at the Robert E. Heck Softball Complex Saturday.
GSU took early leads in both games but ultimately fell short 8-7 in Game 1 and 13-11 in Game 2. Ivie Drake led the way with two home runs, a triple and a double to go with five runs scored and five RBI. Callie Alford also hit her 33rd career bomb to become the all-time home run leader in program history.
“We would like to congratulate Callie for breaking the career home run record today,” head coach Roger Kincaid said. “She has meant so much to our program over the past four years, and we hope she keeps adding to that total the rest of the season.”
Game 1
Georgia State jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after one but it was not enough as the Panthers fell to the No. 24 Jaguars 8-7 in the first game of a doubleheader. Drake led the way with two home runs and three RBI. Lauren Coleman also drove in two, while Ashley Christy hit her third homer of the season.
GSU scored three in the bottom of the first on RBI singles by Megan Litumbe and Coleman. After South Alabama scored on in the top of the second, Georgia State pushed its lead to 5-1 on back-to-back homers by Christy and Drake in the bottom of the second.
The Jaguars scored three in the third to make it a one-run game, 5-4, after three complete. South Alabama then took its first lead of the game, 6-5, with two runs in the top of the fourth. After a scoreless fifth, USA tacked on a single run in the sixth to go up 7-5.
In the bottom of the sixth, Drake launched a two-run homer to tie the score 7-7. The Jaguars then scored the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh. In the bottom of the final frame, GSU stranded the tying run at third as South Alabama clinched the 8-7 win.
Game 2
The Panthers again grabbed an early lead in Game 2, but it was not enough as South Alabama came from behind to defeated Georgia State 13-11. Alford, Mandy Blackwell and Christy all homered for GSU but six home runs by the Jaguars was the difference.
Alford drove in two and scored three times. Blackwell, Coleman and Drake also finished with two RBI each and Christy scored three times.
South Alabama jumped in front 2-0 with a homer in the top of the first. Georgia State responded with five runs in the bottom of the frame to take 5-2 lead after one complete. Megan Litumbe drove in one, Coleman doubled to plate two before Blackwell's two-run shot capped the scoring.
After the Jaguars scored one in the second, GSU extended its lead to 7-3 after two on Drake's two-RBI double. South Alabama cut the Panthers' lead to 7-5 after three with two solo homers. USA then scored five in the fourth to take a 10-7 lead.
Georgia State responded with three runs in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game 10-10. Christy hit a solo homer, Drake tripled, Alford hit an RBI single and then scored. After a scoreless fifth, the Jaguars jumped back in front 13-10, before Alford hit a solo bomb to cut the South Alabama lead to 13-11 after six complete.
GSU had runners on the corners in the bottom of the seventh but a double play ended the game and gave the Jaguars the 13-11 win.
The series concludes Sunday, March 29 at Bob Heck Field. First pitch is set for 12 p.m.
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