ATLANTA, Ga. - The
William and Mary baseball team fell, 7-6, at Georgia State Friday night in its
series opener with the Panthers. After
falling behind, 2-0, W&M reeled off five unanswered runs to take a 5-2
lead. However, GSU responded by scoring
the next five runs en route to victory.
With the loss, the College drops to 23-14 overall and 8-8 in CAA action,
while Georgia State improves to 15-20 on the year and 6-7 in league play.
On the mound, senior RHP Matt Davenport (5-3) pitched seven
innings in the loss, as he surrendered seven runs, but only four of which were
earned. Freshman LHP Jason Inghram and
senior RHP Jay McCarthy combined to pitch an inning of scoreless baseball in
relief. GSU's senior RHP Tyler Claburn (3-0)
pitched an inning of relief as he earned the win.
Freshman designated hitter Josh Smith went 2-for-4 with two
RBIs and two runs scored to lead the Tribe.
Junior center fielder Ryan Brown was 1-for-3 with two RBIs, while junior
second baseman Kevin Nutter recorded a hit, a run scored and an RBI to cap off
a productive night. Senior left fielder
Tadd Bower continues to swing a hot bat, as the Chesterfield, Va., native posted
a 2-for-4 effort, which included a run scored. Senior catcher Chris Forsten
went 1-for-3 with an RBI, while freshman first baseman Michael Katz rounded out
the W&M output tallying two hits.
Georgia State struck first with a pair of runs in the
opening frame. With one out, freshman
center fielder Kody Adams plated freshman shortstop Caden Bailey with a single
through the left side of the infield, giving the Panthers an early 1-0 lead. Senior right fielder Jonathan Kolowich
extended the GSU advantage to 2-0 after driving in senior first baseman Brandon
Williams on a groundout to Lindemuth.
In the top of the fourth, the College went ahead, 3-2, after
a two-out rally produced a trio of runs.
Smith started the rally with an infield single to the GSU third baseman,
and Williams followed with a walk.
Forsten plated the first run with a single to right, while Nutter pushed
across Williams with a single to center to tie the game at 2-2. Brown put the Green and Gold in front after
he laced a single down the right field line, which scored Forsten.
The College plated a run in the top of the fifth to increase
the margin to 4-2. Bower got things
going after ripping a one out double to left field. The Chesterfield Va., native later scored
from third on a GSU past ball.
Up 4-2, the Tribe tacked on another run in the top half of
the sixth. With two outs, and Nutter on
third, Katz plated the Vienna, Va., native with a single through the middle of
the infield, giving the College a 5-2 advantage.
The Panthers responded with five runs in the bottom half of
the frame to take 7-5 lead. Of the five
runs scored, only two were earned.
W&M countered with a run in the top of the seventh. After the College loaded the bases, Brown
recorded a RBI walk, which scored Smith.
With no outs and the bases still juiced, GSU escaped the jam
surrendering just one run.
Down to its last three outs in the top of the ninth, W&M
placed a runner in scoring position.
Forsten led off the inning with a walk and later advanced to second on a
Nutter groundout. Freshman J.T. Castner
checked in for Forsten as a pinch runner.
With one out and Castner on second, the College was unable to tie the
contest up as Georgia State recorded consecutive groundouts to second base in
preserving the, 7-6, win.
Tribe baseball continues its series with Georgia State
tomorrow with the first pitch from the GSU Baseball Complex scheduled for 1
p.m. Fans can follow the action online
at TribeAthletics.com with live stats.
