Georgia State used five pitchers to shake off the rust of a six-day layoff to earn a 5-4 win over Kennesaw State on Monday night at Stillwell Stadium. After the entire series with No. 26 UNC Wilmington was canceled over the weekend due to inclement weather in the Atlanta area, the Owls and Panthers used a normal off night to renew a series that had not been played since 1995.
All three normal weekend starters for the Panthers pitched as junior Ryan Moore (3-1) earned the win with two innings of relief. The staff combined to allow just four hits on the evening.
The Panthers improved to 16-7 on the season, while the Owls fell to 11-12. It marked Georgia State's best ever start to a season.
“Our team was out-of-sync all night,” commented head coach Greg Frady. “Sometimes that can happen after a six-day layoff, but I tried to just let the team play and didn't make too many moves early in the game. The game was just faster than we were tonight, but I am extremely proud of the team and glad that we were able to come up here and get the win tonight.”
Senior Will Palmer started for the Panthers who had not played since a 10-1 win over No. 3 Georgia Tech last Tuesday night. Palmer allowed two hits, striking out three. Senior Robinson Polanco pitched the sixth and seventh innings, while Will Campbell pitched the eighth and sophomore Aidan Francis pitched an almost perfect ninth for his first career save.
Senior Nick Hogan continued his hot bat at the plate since being reinserted into the starting line-up, going 2-for-4 with a run scored.
Junior Carl Moniz extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a single in the sixth inning, while senior Derek Simmons and junior Bradley Logan each added a pair of hits.
Senior Chase Childers returned to the line-up after a two-game absence, going 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI.
Drew Payne (0-1) earned the loss for the Owls. Payne pitched 2.1 innings, allowing five hits, two runs, striking out a pair.
The Panthers will return to the field as former Atlantic Sun Conference rival Mercer travels to Atlanta on Tuesday. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. The game will air live on WRAS-FM 88.5 beginning at 5:30 with Panther Sports Talk. Dave Cohen will be joined in the booth by former Panther Rusty Bennett. Admission is free to the park and live stats will be available via GeorgiaStateSports.com.
