What you need to know:

* Georgia State lost 8-4 to No. 3 Auburn Wednesday at the Bob Heck Softball Complex.

* The Panthers, who are 18-14 (4-2 SBC), were tied with the Tigers until Auburn pulled away late with a four-run sixth inning.

* GSU is back in action on Wed., March 30 for a doubleheader at Furman.

ATLANTA – Hosting the third-ranked Auburn Tigers for a midweek game Wednesday, Georgia State's softball team scored four runs on 10 hits, but gave up a four-run sixth inning to lose 8-4 at the Bob Heck Softball Complex.

“I thought we competed real hard for five innings,” head coach Roger Kincaid said. “We showed that we are right there, but we have to finish strong. That's something we are constantly preaching to the team; finish strong.”

Georgia State looked to be in trouble early as Auburn scored three in the first frame. The Panthers responded in the bottom half, however, by loading the bases with no outs. Georgia State ended up scoring just one run in the inning, but evened the score in the second with and RBI-groundout from Ivie Drake and an error by the Tiger defense.

Auburn retook the lead in the third, but Drake stepped up to the plate in the home half of the fourth and belted a line drive that hit the scoreboard in right-center field. Drake's team-leading eighth home run of the season tied the game up at 4-4 through 4.

Both teams were quiet in the fifth, but the Tigers took advantage of walks and hit batters to score four runs on just two hits in the top of the sixth to take the lead for good. Drake, Taylor Anderson and Morgan Brown each recorded a pair of hits for the Panthers, who finished with 10 while Auburn tallied 11.

Georgia State slips to 18-14 on the season with the loss and has the weekend off before visiting Furman on March 30 for a doubleheader. This was GSU's seventh game against a top-25 opponent.

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