JONESBORO, Ark. – Georgia State made a late push but couldn't overcome an early deficit, falling 6-4 to Arkansas State in the series opener Friday night at Tomlinson Stadium. Despite a strong effort in the final innings, the Panthers couldn't complete the comeback after trailing by as many as five.

The loss drops Georgia State to 24-19 overall and 9-10 in Sun Belt play, while Arkansas State improves to 20-21 (9-10 SBC), pulling even with the Panthers in the conference standings.

Arkansas State capitalized on early opportunities, scoring in four of the first five innings and building a 5-0 lead by the end of the fourth. A two-run homer from JC Cabuyaban in the fourth and a solo shot from Ashton Quiller in the third provided most of the early damage against GSU starter Cole Roberts (6-4), who was tagged with the loss after allowing four runs over 3.2 innings.

Georgia State finally got on the board in the sixth with a solo home run from Colin Hynek.. The Panthers added three more across the seventh and eighth innings, including RBIs from Cooper Milford and Jae Williams. Milford finished 2-for-3 with two doubles, while Donohoe and Hynek each had two hits to pace the offense.

GSU threatened in the eighth, pulling within two runs after back-to-back hits and an RBI groundout from Williams. Milford followed with a run-scoring double to make it 6-4, but Arkansas State reliever Chase Richter worked a scoreless ninth to secure the save.

Caleb White provided solid relief for the Panthers, tossing 4.1 innings and allowing just two unearned runs while striking out five.

Georgia State will look to bounce back Saturday in Game Two of the series, with first pitch set for 7:00 p.m. ET.