What You Need to Know:
* David Levy delivered a three-run triple and Joey Roach had a two-run double to lead the Panther attack.
* Nathan Bates pitched six strong innings and three relievers combined for three scoreless innings.
* Series continues Friday at 6 p.m.
ATLANTA -- David Levy and Joey Roach combined to drive in five runs to back a strong pitching peformance by starter Nathan Bates and the Georgia State bullpen as the Panthers downed Georgia Southern 6-2 in the opening game of the final regular-season series.
Georgia State improved to 29-23 overall, 15-11 in the Sun Belt, while Georgia Southern is 28-24, 16-12.
"We looked like Georgia State baseball tonight. We played with confidence, we played with aggressiveness, we won the two-out RBI battle tonight," head coach Greg Frady said. "We have won the games from the sixth inning on all year long when we've been successful, and we won again from the sixth inning on tonight."
Levy provided the key hit with his bases-loaded triple in the sixth inning that broke open a one-run game and extended the Panthers' lead to 6-3.
The senior from Marietta also produced a big defensive play. The Panthers' starting second baseman all season long played right field for the first time in his career. In the first inning, he caught a fly ball and then threw a strike to first base for a double play.
"I told him when he got to third base that that's what I expect from my corner outfielders - RBI production," Frady said with a laugh.
Bates (5-3) pitched six strong innings to earn his fifth victory of the season, scattering six hits and two runs while striking out six with two walks. Jerry Stuckey, Wayne Wages and Kevin Burgee finished the game with three innings of scoreless relief. The staff combined for nine strikeouts.
Georgia State jumped in front with a pair of runs in the first inning. Caden Bailey and Matt Rose started the two-out rally with back-to-back singles, and then Roach delivered a two-run double to right center.
"We've had a little trouble scoring runs lately. It just hasn't gone our way," Frady said. "So to get those two runs early was a big confidence boost for our team."
Justin Jones added an RBI-single in the second to extend the Panthers' lead to 3-0 off Georgia Southern starter Evan Challenger (5-3), who entered the game with a league-leading 1.69 earned run average.
After the Eagles pulled within 3-2 with runs in the fourth and sixth innings, Roach also started the Panthers' three-run sixth with a one-out double to the left field corner. Jack Thompson and James Clements drew walks to load the bases with two outs, and that's when Levy ripped his triple just inside the bag at first base and into the right field corner to clear the bases.
"I saw that the first baseman was playing pretty far off the line, so I thought if I could get something down middle or outside, I could just yank it down that line and it worked out," Levy said.
Hunter Thomas drove in both runs for Georgia Southern.
The series continues with a 6 p.m. game Friday.
