What you need to know:

* Georgia State won the Bulldog Kickoff Classic Sunday afternoon with a thrilling 12-inning, 3-1 victory over host Mississippi State.

* Freshman Emily Soles went 10 innings in the circle, allowing just one run. Mandy Blackwell was the hero with an RBI double in the top of the 12th.

* GSU hosts Georgia Tech Wednesday at the Bob Heck Softball Complex for the first home game of the season.

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Georgia State's softball team won the Bulldog Kickoff Classic over host Mississippi State Sunday. The Panthers got an RBI double from senior Mandy Blackwell in the top of the 12th to defeat the Bulldogs 3-1.

Freshman Emily Soles was outstanding on Sunday. Soles got the start and lasted 10 innings, holding Mississippi State to just one run on five hits. On the season, Soles has three appearances with a 0.82 ERA and 2-0 record in 17.0 innings of work.

The Bulldogs went ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the fourth, but the Panthers would respond in the top of the fifth. With two outs and Remington Hasty on second base, Arden Jobe pinch hit and knocked a single up the middle. Hasty turned on the jets and beat a good throw to the plate to score the tying run.

The two sides would trade zeros on the board for the next six innings, until Georgia State finally broke through in the 12th.

Ivie Drake led off the inning with single to get things going. On the day, Drake reached base in all five plate appearances, going 3-for-3 with two walks. Kensey Caldwell successfully moved Drake into scoring position and Cassidy Faulk took over at second as a pinch runner with one out. That's when Blackwell came up huge, driving a ball to deep left-center field. The ball tipped off the center fielder's glove and Faulk scored easily from second to put GSU on top 2-1. A few batters later, Kirsten McMonigle hit a grounder to the second baseman which led to an error and allowed GSU to score another run to take the 3-1 lead.

Kinsley Jennings had come on for Soles in relief in the 11th. Jennings finished off the Bulldogs in the bottom of the 12th to earn the win, her first of the season. With the win, GSU claimed the Bulldog Kickoff Classic trophy and improved to 4-1 on the year.

Sunday's win marked the fourth time Georgia State has defeated an SEC opponent on the road since the 2012 season. The Panthers won at Alabama in 2012 when the Crimson Tide were ranked No. 2 in the country. In 2013, GSU defeated Georgia in Athens when the Bulldogs were ranked No. 23. GSU beat Georgia once again in 2014 when UGA was No. 13 in the country.

It was a good start to the season for the Panther pitching staff. Four pitchers made appearances in the opening weekend for GSU and the staff holds a 1.29 ERA through five games.

Georgia State opens its home schedule Wednesday when Georgia Tech visits the Bob Heck Softball Complex. In last year's meeting in Panthersville, the two teams went 12 innings before Kensey Caldwell hit a walkoff home run.