MOBILE – Led by three hits from Sophie Mooney, the Georgia State softball team pounded Georgia Southern  9-1 (6) in the opening game of the Sun Belt Championship Tuesday at Jaguar Field.
 
The Panthers now advance to the double elimination round of the Sun Belt Conference Championship where they will play No. 2 seed and host South Alabama at 8 pm ET on Wednesday at Jaguar Field.
 
Georgia State's pitchers Emily Buck and Hallie Adams held Georgia Southern (6-19,13-34 Sun Belt) to one run from four hits helping the Panthers eliminate the Eagles for the second year in a row.
 
The Panthers struck first in the bottom of the fourth when Daisy Hess stole her 28th base of the season to put her in scoring position. Hess later scored on a throwing error from Skylar Chavez's sac-bunt.  
 
The rally continued with Gabby Benson's sacrifice ground ball and Emily Brown's double up the middle to bring around two more runs for a 3-0 lead after four.
 
Georgia State added two runs in the fifth and then scored four in the sixth to end the game. Seven different players drove in one run each, and the Panthers collected seven stolen bases in the game.

Mooney was 3-for-4 on the day with an RBI and two runs scored, while Bailee Richardson had two doubles and an RBI.