What You Need to Know:
* Freshman Israel Zackery delivered a walkoff single in his first collegiate at-bat in the bottom of the 12th inning to lift GSU to a 3-2 win over Western Michigan on Opening Day
* GSU starter pitched seven shutout innings in a game that was scoreless until the 11th.
* The Panthers host VCU Saturday at 2 p.m. in Game 2 of the Atlanta Challenge.
ATLANTA -- Freshman Israel Zackery's walkoff single with two outs in the 12th inning lifted GSU to a 3-2 win over Western Michigan on Opening Day at the GSU Baseball Complex, backing a strong pitching effort led by starter Cole Uvila.
The game was scoreless until the 11th inning. Western Michigan scored the game's first two runs in the top of the 11th, but the Panthers answered with two in the bottom of the frame on Jack Thompson's sacrifice fly and Joey Roach's RBI-groundout.
Uvila, the senior right-hander, allowed five hits in seven shutout innings with six strikeouts and just one walk but did not figure in the decision.
Senior reliever Alex Hegner followed with 1.1 scoreless innings, and then senior closer Wayne Wages came on with one out in the eighth and still no runs on the board for either team. Wages (1-0) finished the game with 3.2 innings to earn the victory.
Georgia State fell behind 2-0 in the 11th after as the Broncos pushed across two two-out runs on Alex Goodwyn's single that dropped into shallow center field and then Hunter Prince's ground ball through the left side.
Pinch-hitter Brandon Gonzalez and center fielder Ryan Blanton led off the bottom of the 11th with back-to-back singles, and then Jaylen Woullard beat out a bunt to load the bases with no outs.
Thompson delivered a fly ball to right center to score the Panthers' first run, and then Roach's hard ground ball to second base tied the game at 2-2.
After Wages set down the Broncos in order in the top of the 12th, Jarrett Hood smashed a one-out double to right field. With two outs, Zackery, in his first collegiate at-bat, fell behind 0-2 against WMU reliever Jack Szott. After fouling off two pitches and then taking ball one, he delivered a single up the middle to score Hood from second.
Western Michigan starter Keegan Akin was also outstanding, striking out 11 in six scoreless innings. The left-hander is a highly-regarded prospect who was one of the top pitchers in the Cape Cod League last summer.
The two teams combined to allow just one walk in 12 innings.
"An unbelievable well-pitched game on both sides," head coach Greg Frady said. "So many heroes, but the story of the game was about our pitching tonight, led by Cole Uvila. That was by far the best I've seen Cole Uvila pitch. He pitched like a veteran, under control with three pitches working and a fantastic tempo.
"Cole was definitely supported tonight by our defense, particularly by our outfield."
Blanton, the Panthers' all-conference center fielder, had two outfield assists and covered a lot of ground on several running catches. Western Michigan looked like they would score a run in the first inning, but Blanton cut off a ball in left center and threw to shortstop Andy Burnett, who made a perfect relay to the plate to cut down the runner. In the sixth inning, after Uvila's only walk of the game, Blanton made a long running catch in right center and then doubled off the runner at first.
The Atlanta Challenge continues Saturday as the Panthers host VCU, an NCAA Super Regional Team in 2015, at 2 p.m. at the GSU Baseball Complex.
