What You Need to Know:
* Georgia State ends its season at 30-27.
* Matt Rose hit his 16th homer of the season, the third-highest total in school history.
* The Panthers recorded their eighth 30-win season, including their sixth in the last eight years under head coach
Greg Frady.
Troy, Ala. -- Matt Rose hit his 16th home run of the season, but Georgia State could not overcome a slow start in a 6-2 loss to Arkansas State in an elimination game at the Sun Belt Championship. The Panthers season ends with a 30-27 record as GSU recorded the eighth 30-win season in school history, including six in the last eight years under head coach Greg Frady.
Arkansas State (27-29) advances to face top-seeded South Alabama Saturday.
The Panthers fell behind early as Arkansas State put up four runs in the first inning. Zach George led off the game with a solo homer off starter Garrett Ford (1-3), and then the Red Wolves added three more runs, aided by two hit batters and a wild pitch.
Rose put Georgia State on the scoreboard in the third inning with his two-run blast to left field. He finishes with the fourth-highest season home run total in school history; the only three Panthers to hit more in a season are Chad Smith (21), Jason Glover (20) and Rose's former teammate Nic Wilson (18). Rose, the junior infielder, has hit 31 career homers in three seasons, tied for seventh in the GSU record book.
Georgia State had other chances to get on the board early, but the Panthers left the bases loaded in the first inning when Joey Roach's line drive was snagged by the first baseman for the the third out. Then in the second GSU appeared to score two runs on Justin Jones' double to the left field corner, but the umpire ruled that a baserunner missed second base, nullifying both runs.
"From a momentum standpoint, that was a very huge call," head coach Greg Frady said. "Two things happened in the game to change the momentum. We absolutely did not pitch well in the first inning. I thought the team responded well when Justin Jones' got that two-out double, and then to get nothing out of that was a huge momentum change."
Roach hit two other line drives that were caught, including a sharp liner with two runners on in the eighth that the second baseman caught for a double play.
Georgia State pitchers struck out a season-high 14 in the game as Panther relievers Cole Uvila, Alex Hegner and Connor Stanley kept GSU within striking distance. Uvila fanned a career-best seven in 3.2 innings, while Hegner and Stanley each struck out three in 1.2 scoreless innings.
The Georgia State staff finished the season with the lowest earned run average in school history at 4.14, bettering the previous low of 4.29, set in 2011.
"I'm proud of the effort and what our team accomplished in stepping forward," Frady said. "I'm proud of the team for making the Sun Belt Tournament and the way that we fought for our 30 wins this year.
"I do want to recognize our seven seniors because they have given a lot and advanced our program. "I want to thank everyone who supported this team all year long."
