What You Need to Know:
* Georgia State fell to No. 1 seed South Alabama 14-4.
* The Panthers move into the loser's bracket and will face Arkansas State Friday at 4 p.m. ET.
* The winner of Friday's game stays alive to face South Alabama Saturday.
TROY, ALA. - Georgia State fell to top-seeded South Alabama 14-4 in the second round of the Sun Belt Conference Championship Thursday at Troy's Riddle-Pace Field.
The Panthers (30-26) move into the loser's bracket and will play Friday at 4 p.m. ET against Arkansas State, which eliminated Georgia Southern earlier today. The winner of that game will play South Alabama Saturday, but the Jaguars would have to be beaten twice.
Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Year Kevin Hill (10-0) was dominant for South Alabama (36-19) as he struck out 10 and allowed just one run in seven innings.
The Panthers touched Hill for a run in the first inning as Trae Sweeting led off with a double and scored on Matt Rose's two-out, RBI-single.
South Alabama took the lead for good with three runs in the second and had a four-run inning in the fourth, including home runs by Ryan Raspino and Matt Bolger.
After falling behind 10-1, Georgia State managed baserunners in the later innings but left the bases loaded in the sixth and then two more on in the seventh without scoring.
In the eighth, Cam Sperry drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, and then Will Johnson hit a two-run homer to left, his second homer of the season. The freshman left fielder also threw out a runner at home plate.
Starter Kenny Anderson (5-4) took the loss for Georgia State.
"That did not represent our team," head coach Greg Frady said. "Today we were competitive in two areas but in the third area, pitching, we just didn't have it today. The funny thing is that's the segment that has carried us to this point. Today didn't represent us, but I can tell you for sure that we will show up tomorrow and we'll get all three phases right."
