What you need to know:
* Megan Litumbe launched her 20th homer and Kensey Caldwell stayed hot at the plate to lead GSU to the 9-3 win and into the four-team double-elimination bracket.
* The Panthers became just the second team in Sun Belt history to hit 100 or more homers in a season, joining the 2006 UL Lafayette squad that finished with 102.
* GSU Starter Katie Worley picked up where she left off in Game 1, allowing two runs in four inning en route to her second win of the day and 13th of the season.
* Georgia State will now face No. 1-seed UL Lafayette on Thursday, May 7 at 3 p.m. ET in the first game of the double-elimination portion of the championship.
ATLANTA – Megan Litumbe launched her 20th home run of the year and Georgia State's 100th of the season as GSU defeated Troy 9-3 to survive and advance to the four-team, double-elimination portion of the Sun Belt Conference Softball Championship.
Worley allowed two runs on four hits in four innings as she earned her second win of the day and 13th of the season. Caldwell was 3-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored while Litumbe led the way with two RBI to go with two hits and two runs scored. Callie Alford, Lauren Coleman and Ivie Drake all finished with two hits.
After two scoreless innings, Georgia State took a 1-0 lead into the top of the third when Morgan Brown scored on Drake's RBI single. Drake then tried to extend the GSU lead on Alford's double but was thrown out at home to end the threat. Troy scored two runs in the bottom of the frame to take a 2-1 lead after three complete innings.
The Panthers responded with four runs in both the fourth and the fifth innings to put the game out of reach. In the fourth, Coleman reached on catcher's interference and scored on Caldwell's single. Litumbe then scored on a suicide squeeze bunt by Brown. Next, Caldwell and Brown scored on a dropped fly ball to put GSU up 5-2 after four.
In the fifth, Alford started the inning with a single and advanced on an error. Coleman singled to drive in Alford before scoring on Litumbe's 20th homer of the year. After a single, walk and fielding error loaded the bases, Anderson drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to put the Panthers ahead 9-2.
Troy added a single run in the seventh with a solo homer before Taylor Thorpe closed out the game to secure the GSU win.
Georgia State's 100 home runs are two shy of the all-time 2006 record set by UL Lafayette. Ivie Drake leads with 21 blasts, one ahead of Litumbe to give GSU a pair with 20 homers. Litumbe becomes only the 15th to reach 20 HR this year, as GSU joins Arizona as the only teams with a pair with 20 homers. As of Monday's NCAA stats, only Michigan (101) had cracked 100 home runs this season.
Georgia State will now face No. 1-seed UL Lafayette at 3 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 7 in the first game of the double-elimination portion of the tournament.
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