ATLANTA -- Dylan Strickland's go-ahead, 2-run home run in the seventh inning lifted Georgia State to an 8-7 win over James Madison, clinching the series for the Panthers, two games to one. 

Georgia State (15-12, 7-2 Sun Belt) trailed 7-4 in the sixth inning when senior Will Mize hit a 2-run homer to pull the Panthers within one. The blast to left field is Mize's team-leading eighth of the season and career homer No. 25 for the veteran third baseman, good for 15th place in school history.

In the seventh, Brennan Hudson drew a leadoff walk to bring up Strickland, who ripped the 2-1 pitch over the center field wall, putting the Panthers up 8-7 on his first homer of the season.

GSU relievers Aidan McEvoy and Ross Norman combined to shut out the Dukes (16-12, 3-6) over the final 4.1 innings. After James Madison scored three runs in the fifth to take a 7-4 lead, the lefthander McEvoy (1-0) came on with two outs and struck out leadoff hitter Mike Mancini to end the inning and then retired six of seven batters in the sixth and seventh innings. In 2.1 innings, he allowed no runs or hits while striking out three and walking just one to earn his first victory.

Norman, the freshman righty from Ringgold, Ga., set down the Dukes in order in the eighth and ninth innings, including two strikeouts, to pick up his first save.

"Big hits from big players. Will Mize and Dylan Strickland both did exactly what they are in the lineup to do," head coach Brad Stromdahl said. "And Aidan McEvoy and Ross Norman did a great job putting up zeros to close out the game."

"We're playing good baseball, getting big hits and making good pitches," Stromdahl continued.  

James Madison jumped in front with two runs in the first, but Georgia State answered with three in the bottom half on Jesse Donohoe's 2-run single and Hudson's sacrifice fly.

JMU regained the lead with two runs in the second to move ahead 4-3, but Donohoe's sacrifice fly in the third knotted the score at 4-4, his third RBI of the day and sixth of the series.

Mize was 3-for-4 on the day with two RBI and two runs scored, while Donohoe and Michael Maginnis had two hits each.

Georgia State returns to action Tuesday at Georgia in a 5 p.m. game at Foley Field, and then the Panthers' travel to Georgia Southern next weekend.