CONWAY, S.C. -- Georgia State fell 7-3 at No. 16 Coastal Carolina Saturday at Springs Brooks Stadium as the Chanticleers evened the series at one game apiece.
The three-game series will be decided in a 1 p.m. game Sunday.
The Panthers (19-19, 6-10 Sun Belt), who won 3-2 Friday, outhit Coastal Carolina 9-7, but the Panthers hurt themselves with an uncharacteristic five errors. Five of the seven runs the Chanticleers (27-14, 13-4 Sun Belt) scored were unearned.
Georgia State jumped in front with a run in the first inning. Leadoff hitter Justin Jones was hit by a pitch for the 31st time in his career, moved to third on a single by Nick Gatewood and scored on a wild pitch to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead.
GSU starter Jake Rogers (4-4) was in line to pitch a scoreless bottom of the first but three straight errors led to three unearned runs for Coastal Carolina.
Then the Chanticleers scored three more in the second, two of them unearned after another error, and Coastal led 6-1. From there, Coastal only managed one more run, but Georgia State could not dig out of the hole.
"We did not start well today," head coach Greg Frady said. "Jake Rogers did pitch well, but we didn't support him in the field. We've got a good defensive team, but we didn't play a defensive game today. It was not a good day, but the series is 1-1, and we'll be ready to compete to win the series tomorrow."
Perhaps the most positive aspect of the game was the performance of relievers Will White and Liam Henry, who combined for 4-1/3 scoreless innings with six strikeouts.
White relieved Rogers in the fourth with two runners on and struck out pinch hitter Cameron Pearcey to end the inning. He then tossed two more scoreless innings, allowing just two singles and striking out one more.
Henry pitched the seventh and eighth innings and allowed just one walk while striking out four, three of them looking.
"That was a very big positive," Frady said of the bullpen. "Our pitching was fine today. And we outhit them. We didn't get a timely hit or two to score more runs, but we weren't beaten by their offense. We actually beat ourselves today. But tomorrow is another day."
Senior right-hander Jordan Lee will take the mound for the Panthers in Sunday's series finale.
