What You Need to Know:
• Joey Roach drove in the winning run with an eighth-inning sacrifice fly to give GSU an 8-7 win over UT Arlington in Sunday's series finale.
• The Panthers trailed 4-0 early but Jaylen Woullard's three-run homer in the sixth inning put GSU ahead 6-4.
• Starter Bryan White allowed four runs in the first but shut out the Mavericks for the next five innings to keep GSU in the game.
ATLANTA -- Jaylen Woullard hit a three-run homer and Joey Roach drove in the winning run with an eighth-inning sacrifice fly to give GSU an 8-7 win over UT Arlington in Sunday's series finale Sunday at the GSU Baseball Complex.
Georgia State (14-14, 3-6 Sun Belt) rebounded from a tough Saturday on which UT Arlington (16-13, 4-5) clinched the series with a doubleheader sweep, including an 18-16 win in 10 innings in the nightcap.
After UT Arlington scored four runs in the first inning, GSU starter Bryan White settled down and did not allow a hit or a run for the next five innings to keep the Panthers in the game.
Georgia State began to chip away, scoring one run in the second inning on Woullard's sacrifice fly and another in the third on Jarrett Hood's RBI-single.
With GSU trailing 4-2 in the sixth, Jack Thompson got aboard with a one-out single, moved to second on a wild pitch and came home on a run-scoring single by freshman Darius Sewell, making just his third start of the season.
After Will Kilgore drew a walk, the left-handed hitting Woullard hit a first-pitch fastball off starter UTA's lefty starter Brad Vassar off the scoreboard in right field for a three-run blast and his first homer of the season. That gave GSU its first lead at 6-4.
The Mavericks immediately tied the game in the seventh, turning three walks and a hit batter, sandwiched around one single, into two runs to knot the game at 6-6.
Roach and Hood led off the bottom of the seventh with back-to-back singles, and then Jack Thompson delivered a run-scoring single to bring home Roach and tie the game again at 7-7.
But UTA tied the game again as pinch hitter Colton Turner doubled to lead off the eighth and came home on Josh Minjarez's single. But the Panthers' avoided further damage as reliever Bryce Conley came on to retire three straight batter.
GSU shortstop Justin Jones started the Panthers' winning rally with a leadoff walk in the bottom of the eighth off Daniel James (0-3) and moved to second on a groundout. James Clements hit a blooper that just eluded the diving second baseman for a single to put runners at first and third. That's when Roach brought home the go-ahed run with a sacrifice fly to left field.
With the Panthers now leading 8-7, Conley (5-2) struck out the side in the top of the ninth to seal the win and earn his team-leading fifth victory.
Roach, the senior catcher, also picked a runner off first base to help limit the damage in that inning and threw out a runner trying to steal second in the sixth inning. In addition to his homer and four RBI, Woullard saved at least two runs with an outstanding catch in left field with bases loaded and two outs.
White did not figure in the decision, but his final line saw him allow four runs on just three hits in six innings of work with four strikeouts.
Georgia State plays Tuesday at Auburn at 7 p.m. ET in a game that will air on SEC Network-Plus.
