1 of 31
Ryan Watson Ryan Watson
Ryan Watson
Photo Credit: Joey Meredith / Sun Belt Confere
Ryan Watson Ryan Watson
Ryan Watson
Photo Credit: Joey Meredith / Sun Belt Confere
Josh Smith Josh Smith
Josh Smith
Photo Credit: Joey Meredith / Sun Belt Confere
Dalton Pearson Dalton Pearson
Dalton Pearson
Photo Credit: Joey Meredith / Sun Belt Confere
Jonathan Ponder Jonathan Ponder
Jonathan Ponder
Photo Credit: Joey Meredith / Sun Belt Confere
Cameron Jones, Josh Smith Cameron Jones, Josh Smith
Cameron Jones, Josh Smith
Photo Credit: Joey Meredith / Sun Belt Confere
Home Plate Meeting Home Plate Meeting
Home Plate Meeting
Photo Credit: Joey Meredith / Sun Belt Confere
Dugout Dugout
Dugout
Photo Credit: Joey Meredith / Sun Belt Confere
Cameron Jones, Will Mize, Josh Smith Cameron Jones, Will Mize, Josh Smith
Cameron Jones, Will Mize, Josh Smith
Photo Credit: Joey Meredith / Sun Belt Confere
Trey Horton Trey Horton
Trey Horton
Photo Credit: Joey Meredith / Sun Belt Confere
Chad Treadway Chad Treadway
Chad Treadway
Photo Credit: Joey Meredith / Sun Belt Confere
Preston Joye Preston Joye
Preston Joye
Photo Credit: Joey Meredith / Sun Belt Confere
Trey Horton Trey Horton
Trey Horton
Photo Credit: Joey Meredith / Sun Belt Confere
Celebration Celebration
Celebration
Photo Credit: Joey Meredith / Sun Belt Confere
Celebration Celebration
Celebration
Photo Credit: Joey Meredith / Sun Belt Confere
Josh Smith Josh Smith
Josh Smith
Photo Credit: Joey Meredith / Sun Belt Confere
Josh Smith Josh Smith
Josh Smith
Photo Credit: Joey Meredith / Sun Belt Confere
Preston Joye Preston Joye
Preston Joye
Photo Credit: Joey Meredith / Sun Belt Confere
Kyle Riesselmann Kyle Riesselmann
Kyle Riesselmann
Photo Credit: Joey Meredith / Sun Belt Confere
Josh Smith Josh Smith
Josh Smith
Photo Credit: Joey Meredith / Sun Belt Confere
Josh Smith Josh Smith
Josh Smith
Photo Credit: Joey Meredith / Sun Belt Confere
Chandler Dawson Chandler Dawson
Chandler Dawson
Photo Credit: Joey Meredith / Sun Belt Confere
Kalen Puckett Kalen Puckett
Kalen Puckett
Photo Credit: Joey Meredith / Sun Belt Confere
Cameron Jones Cameron Jones
Cameron Jones
Photo Credit: Joey Meredith / Sun Belt Confere
Preston Joye Preston Joye
Preston Joye
Photo Credit: Joey Meredith / Sun Belt Confere
Dalton Pearson Dalton Pearson
Dalton Pearson
Photo Credit: Joey Meredith / Sun Belt Confere
Preston Joye Preston Joye
Preston Joye
Photo Credit: Joey Meredith / Sun Belt Confere
Mound Visit Mound Visit
Mound Visit
Photo Credit: Joey Meredith / Sun Belt Confere
Tyler Koch Tyler Koch
Tyler Koch
Photo Credit: Joey Meredith / Sun Belt Confere
Tyler Koch Tyler Koch
Tyler Koch
Photo Credit: Joey Meredith / Sun Belt Confere
Tyler Koch Tyler Koch
Tyler Koch
Photo Credit: Joey Meredith / Sun Belt Confere
9
Winner Georgia State GSU 18-36
6
ULM ULM 26-25
Winner
Georgia State GSU
18-36
9
Final
6
ULM ULM
26-25
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Georgia State GSU 0 0 3 0 1 2 0 3 0 9 10 3
ULM ULM 0 0 0 5 0 0 1 0 0 6 9 2

W: Watson, Ryan (4-4) L: Orton, C (0-2) S: Horton, Trey (1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Smith Homers, Drives in Five to Lead 9-6 Sun Belt Tourney Win over ULM

MONTGOMERY, ALA. – Josh Smith homered and drove in five runs, and Ryan Watson and Trey Horton combined for another strong bullpen performance as Georgia State outlasted ULM 9-6 in the opening game of the Sun Belt Conference Baseball Championships at Riverwalk Stadium.
 
In the pool play format, Georgia State (18-36), the #5 seed in the East, faces #2 East seed Georgia Southern Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET, with the winner advancing to Saturday's semifinals.

"We had a team, complete game. We just played for each other, and that's what you want at the end of the season, to go out there and play for each other and put your heart on the line," head coach Brad Stromdahl said. "Every single player contributed, and every guy on the mound came back and put their heart on their sleeve. I'm just so happy for them, and we get to play tomorrow." 
 
Smith, the sophomore left fielder, hit a three-run homer in the third inning, an RBI-single in the sixth and another run-scoring single in the eighth to give the Panthers the lead for good.
 
Georgia State, which has won six of its last seven games, won for the ninth time this season when trailing or tied after the sixth inning or later.
 
Watson and Horton combined to pitch the final five innings. Watson (4-4), who saved the final two regular season games, pitched three innings and allowed just one run to earn the victory, and then Horton got the final six outs for his first save. The junior right-hander came on in the eighth with with runners at second and third and no outs and proceeded to strike out three in a row. 
 
The GSU staff accumulated 13 strikeouts on the day, including three by senior lefty Tyler Koch, made his 81st career appearance vs. ULM, tying Bobby Bennett for second in GSU history. The record is 92 by Jerry Stuckey.
 
Smith's homer, his 10th of the season, gave the Panthers an early 3-0 lead, but ULM scored five in the fourth to move ahead 5-3. Georgia State fought back as Kyle Riesselmann hit an opposite field, solo homer in the fifth.
 
In the sixth, Smith's RBI-single tied the game at 5-all, and then GSU took the lead on an unusual play. With Preston Joye at third, Smith broke from first on a double-steal attempt. But he stopped halfway, trying to bait the pitcher to throw the ball, then headed back to first. The pitcher threw to the first baseman, who then threw to third to try to get Joye off the bag, but the throw was wild, and Joye came home to give GSU a 6-5 lead.
 
After ULM (26-25) tied the game with a run in the seventh, Smith picked up his fifth RBI with a run-scoring single in the eighth, and then Ryan Glass hit a double inside the bag at third base to score two more.
 
Georgia State's win is its first in the Sun Belt tourney since 2015.


 
 
 
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