Griffin Cheney
Daniel Wilson
5
Winner Georgia State GSU 22-10, 10-2 SBC
4
Coastal Carolina CCU 16-13-1, 5-6-1 SBC
Winner
Georgia State GSU
22-10, 10-2 SBC
5
Final
4
Coastal Carolina CCU
16-13-1, 5-6-1 SBC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Georgia State GSU 0 3 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 5 9 2
Coastal Carolina CCU 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 4 9 0

W: Sweatt, Dawson (1-0) L: Parker, Nick (1-2) S: Watson, Ryan (7)

Game Recap: Baseball |

First-Place Panthers Compete Sweep at Coastal Carolina with Seventh Straight Win

CONWAY, S.C. -- Josh Smith and Griffin Cheney homered and Ryan Watson earned his seventh save as Georgia State won its seventh straight game with a 5-4 win at Coastal Carolina, completing the Panthers' first sweep of the Chanticleers.

Georgia State improved to 22-10 overall while maintaining first place in the Sun Belt Conference at 10-2, one game ahead of nationally-ranked Texas State.

The Panthers' 22-10 record is the second-best 32-game record in program history and best since the 2011 squad started 23-9, while 10-2 is Georgia State's best-ever start in conference play, including the current Sun Belt as well as the Colonial Athletic Association and Atlantic Sun/Trans America Athletic Conference.

"What a weekend for our program," head coach Brad Stromdahl said after his team's third Sun Belt sweep in four weeks. "Every aspect was good. We won big on Friday, we came from behind Saturday and we won a close one today. Just a total team effort, which is so gratifying."

The Georgia State bullpen was again key for the Panthers, pitching 8.1 innings and allowing just two runs on seven hits. Junior left-hander Dawson Sweatt (1-0) came on in the first inning and pitched three scoreless innings. Joseph Brandon recorded one out and then turned it over to the stellar duo of Cameron Jones and Ryan Watson. Jones logged four innings and allowed only a solo homer, and Watson pitched the ninth to earn his seventh save of the season.

"The bullpen is anchor that has held us together," Stromdahl said. "The three-headed monster of Watson, Jones and Treadway have been great, but we've gotten contributions from many other relievers too. Today it was Dawson Sweatt who gave us three great innings."

Watson, the junior right-hander, has the sixth-highest season total for saves in program history, and his 10 career saves are tied for fourth in GSU annals.

Georgia State trailed 2-0 after one inning when Smith, the junior outfielder, smashed a 3-run homer, his second of the season, in the second to give the Panthers a 3-2 lead they would not relinquish.

Cheney extended the lead when he led off the sixth inning with his 10th homer of the season, a long, high blast to left field.

After Coastal Carolina (16-13-1, 5-6-1) answered with a solo homer in the bottom half, Cheney came through again with an RBI-single in the seventh to give GSU a 5-3 lead.

Georgia State plays a midweek game Tuesday at Georgia Tech (6 p.m. on ACCNE) and then travels to Georgia Southern for a weekend series that opens Thursday.
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