HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Georgia State came out swinging and held the lead into the late innings, but a seven-run bottom of the eighth by No. 23 Southern Miss turned the tide as the Panthers dropped the rubber game of the series, 15-9, on Saturday afternoon at Pete Taylor Park.

Despite the loss, Georgia State (23-18, 9-9 SBC) put together another strong offensive showing, collecting eight hits and hitting four home runs. Kaleb Freeman continued his red-hot stretch at the plate, going 3-for-3 with two home runs, a double, and three RBI. Colin Hynek and Jesse Donohoe also homered, combining for six RBI.

The Panthers got off to a fast start, taking a 3-0 lead in the first on a three-run blast by Donohoe. Freeman followed with a solo home run in the third, and GSU continued to tack on runs in the fifth, sixth, and seventh, building an 8-8 tie heading into the bottom of the eighth.

However, the Golden Eagles (27-13, 12-6 SBC) erupted in their half of the eighth, sending 11 batters to the plate and scoring seven runs on five hits. The damage included a three-run homer from Carson Paetow—his second of the day—and a solo shot from Drey Barrett. Southern Miss also got late RBI hits from Seth Smith and Ty Long to put the game out of reach.

Ross Norman gave Georgia State five solid innings to start, allowing five runs while striking out seven. Caleb White (5-4) was tagged with the loss after surrendering five runs in 2.1 innings of relief. The Panthers used four pitchers on the day, but couldn't slow the Southern Miss bats late.

Hynek hit his second homer of the series in the seventh, a two-run shot to center to temporarily tie the game at 8-8. Freeman's second home run came in the ninth, but by then, the Panthers were trying to climb out of a 15-8 hole.

The loss gives Georgia State a 1-2 result in the road series, though the offense continued to show power and depth throughout the weekend. The Panthers return home Tuesday looking to rebound.