ATLANTA – Ivie Drake provided the offense with three home runs and Mandy Chance picked up a pair of wins in the circle Saturday as Georgia State's softball team swept the doubleheader against Troy to win the series at the Bob Heck Softball Complex.
Game 1 (12 innings): GSU 3, Troy 2
It took 12 innings and three hours and thirty minutes, but Georgia State took Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader, Game 2 of the series, on a walk-off home run by Ivie Drake to beat Troy 3-2 and even the series at a game apiece.
Drake went 2-for-4 with an RBI, two runs scored and two walks to lead the GSU offense.
Troy scored a run in the second and another run in the top of the sixth inning to lead 2-0 when the GSU bats came alive.
In the bottom of the sixth, GSU scored its first run on a Kristin Hawkins RBI-single and the Panthers tied the game on the next at-bat as Arden Jobe evened the score at 2-2 with another RBI-single.
Troy and GSU would trade scoreless frames for five more innings before Drake launched her eighth home run of the season to win the game 3-2 for Georgia State.
Kinsley Jennings got the start in the circle and went 7.1 innings, allowing just two runs on nine hits.
Mandy Chance went 4.2 innings and held Troy scoreless to get her fifth win on the year.
The 12-inning marathon is tied for second-longest in GSU history. The Panthers are 10-1 all-time in games lasting 11 innings or longer and 18-4 in games lasting 10 or more innings.
Game 2: GSU 6, Troy 3
Ivie Drake wasted no time getting the Panther offense going in Game 2 of the doubleheader and the series finale. Leading off the bottom of the first, Drake hit her second home run in as many at-bats to reach nine long balls on the season.
Taylor Chadwick then drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the second to make it 2-0, GSU, bringing Drake to the plate with the bases still juiced.
For the third time in as many at-bats, Drake sent a pitch over the fence as the senior catcher hit a grand slam, her 10th homer of the season and fourth of the series.
With the run, Drake took over sole possession of Georgia State's all-time career runs scored record with her 191st run, passing Taylor Anderson.
Troy got on the board with a run in the third to make it 6-1 and the Trojans would make things interesting with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh, but GSU would hold on to win 6-3 to sweep the doubleheader and take the series against Troy.
Mandy Chance picked up her second win of the day to improve to 6-7. Chance went 6.0 innings and allowed two earned runs on six hits. Jennings finished the game and allowed no runs on one hit.
For the series, Drake went 6-for-10 with four home runs, seven RBI, five runs scored, three walks and no strikeouts. The senior slugged 1.800.
Georgia State improved to 18-16 (4-7 Sun Belt) with the wins and will host Mercer Wednesday at 5 p.m. at the Bob Heck Softball Complex.
