What You Need to Know:
• GSU starter Wayne Wages was perfect for 8.1 innings before allowing a single, finishing with a one-hitter in the Panthers' 10-0 victory over Appalachian State.
• Head coach Greg Frady earned his 300th victory at Georgia State.
• Joey Roach hit his 11th homer and drove in three runs.
ATLANTA -- Georgia State starter Wayne Wages took a perfect game into the ninth inning before allowing a one-out single to finish with a one-hitter in Georgia State's 10-0 victory over Appalachian State Friday at the GSU Baseball Complex.
Wages' gem gave head coach Greg Frady his 300th victory at Georgia State (17-20, 6-10 Sun Belt).
The senior left-hander just missed throwing what would have been the first no-hitter in Georgia State history. His is the fourth one-hitter in Panther annals and first since 2012. He struck out a career-high nine and walked none.
Wages (4-3) retired the first 25 batters in order, including a strikeout of pinch hitter Drake Zupcic to lead off the ninth inning before Appalachian State (10-28, 5-14 Sun Belt) pinch hitter Jason Curtis hit a solid single up the middle. Wages then ended the game with a strikeout and a popup.
He threw 104 pitches, going to a three-ball count just three times.
In addition to catching the one-hitter, Joey Roach hit his 11th homer of the season and drove in three runs to lead the GSU offense.
"This is one of the best-pitched games in the history of our program," head coach Greg Frady said. "Not only did he have a no-hitter, he had a perfect game. They did not have a base runner until one out in the ninth inning. But giving up that hit does not diminish what Wayne did one bit."
Wages has won three straight starts and thrown 16 consecutive scoreless inning after holding ULM without a run in seven innings last Friday. Over his last three starts, he has allowed three runs on nine hits with 21 strikeouts in 22.1 innings.
"We came in with a simple gameplan: locate the fastball in and out and throw the offspeed for strikes, and it worked," Wages said. "I made my pitches when I needed to, but there were multiple defensive plays that kept me going. Coming up one hit short, that's fine."
Roach started the scoring with an RBI-double in the Panthers' four-run first inning. In the fourth, he belted a solo homer to right field for his 25th career home run, and he added a run-scoring single in the eighth.
"I think we have the best catcher in the nation, if you want my opinion," Frady said. "He's a veteran, he's a leader, he's clutch.
"When you pitch like Wayne did tonight, you catch like Joey did, you play defense behind him, that's a lot of magic in Panthersville."
Freshman Darius Sewell had two hits and two RBIs on the night, Will Kilgore drove in a pair of runs with a single and a sacrifice fly, and James Clements had three hits.
The series continues with a 2 p.m. game Saturday.
