ATLANTA – Senior pitcher Garrett Ford led the Panthers to a 7-4 victory over Sun Belt Conference-leading and No. 23 ranked South Alabama and also pitched in the Panthers 4-3 victory over in-state rival Kennesaw State, earning this week’s Georgia State Student-Athlete of the Week award, powered by the U.S. Marines.
The win over South Alabama is the Panthers' first over a ranked foe since 2014. Ford entered that game in the sixth inning Friday and allowed one unearned run. After the game was suspended in the bottom of the sixth, he came back the next day (Saturday) and finished the game with three scoreless innings, giving up just two singles, to earn the victory.
Then, he started the next game Saturday just 40 minutes later and pitched into the fourth inning, allowing just one run on two hits in the 2-1 loss.
For the week, Ford pitched in three of GSU's four games, crucial innings for the Panthers' depleted pitching staff. He threw 8.2 innings in three games, allowing just two earned runs on nine hits for a 2.08 ERA.
Ford leads the GSU staff with 20 appearances this season, noteworthy because he is pitching through a left knee injury. His 66 career appearances, covering nearly 200 innings, rank eighth in GSU history.
An honor student in the classroom, Ford is a graduate of Logansville (Ga.) High School.
