ATLANTA – Matt Abshire hit a go-ahead grand slam, his second home run of the game, in the ninth inning in ULM's game one 13-10 win over Georgia State, while the Panthers bounced back in game two for a 13-4 victory to split the series-opening doubleheader Saturday afternoon at the GSU Baseball Complex.
ULM and Georgia State meet for the rubber match of the three-game series at 1 p.m. EDT/12 p.m. CDT Sunday at the GSU Baseball Complex.
Game 1: ULM 13, Georgia State 10
In a wild, back-and-forth game that saw both teams lead by at least three runs, Abshire provided the final lead change. Georgia State led 10-9 entering the inning.
Jake Haggard led off with a walk and
Bryce Blaser's double put runners on second and third. After an out,
Ian Montz walked to load the bases. After a visit to the mound, Abshire turned on the first pitch he saw from Trent Reddick and sent it over the left-center field wall, sending the ULM dugout into a frenzy as the Warhawks claimed the 13-10 lead.
Georgia State threatened in the bottom of the ninth, putting two runners on with one out and bringing the tying run to the plate, but
Parker Seay entered the game and struck out the next two batters looking to end the game and earn his first save.
ULM struck first with
Easton Winfield's leadoff home run in the top of the first inning for the 1-0 lead. GSU answered in the bottom of the second, as Jesse Donohoe hit an RBI single to score Ryan Dyal, Michael Maginnis added an RBI single to plate Donohoe and JoJo Jackson scored on Taylor Shultz's fielder's choice to put the Panthers up after two, 3-1.
The Warhawks responded in the top of the third inning as
Michelle Artzberger's RBI single brought in
Hasani Johnson to pull within a run, 3-2.
Donohoe collected a two-out, two-RBI double in the third to expand GSU's lead to 5-2.
ULM rallied back in the fourth. With two outs, the Warhawks plated five runs. Abshire hit his first homer of the game, a solo shot, to get within two, 5-3.
Hasani Johnson walked and Winfield doubled to right to put runners on second and third. Lunsford hit a ground ball to shortstop, but beat the throw to first, scoring both Johnson and Winfield, who beat the tag at the plate, to tie the game at 5. Two batters later, Haggard's 2-RBI single to right brought in Lunsford and Artzberger for a 7-5 lead after the top of the fourth.
The Warhawks tacked two more runs on to the lead in the top of the fifth as Montz hit an RBI double down the left-field line and later scored on a wild pitch to go up 9-5.
GSU started battling back, picking up a sacrifice fly from Will Mize in the bottom of the fifth and a solo homer from Donohoe in the sixth to get within two, 9-7.
In the eighth inning, GSU reclaimed the lead. Maginnis hit a two-RBI single to tie the game at nine and advanced to third as Jackson was caught in a run down between third and home. A wild pitch scored Maginnis for the 10-9 lead.
Winfield and Artzberger had three hits and an RBI each, while Abshire had the two homers and drove in five runs for ULM. Lunsford and Haggard had two RBIs apiece. Donohoe had three hits and four RBIs to pace GSU, while Maginnis had two hits and three RBIs.
Carson Orton (3-1) earned the win for ULM, throwing one inning, allowing one run on two hits with one walk and one strikeout. Reddick (0-1) suffered the loss, throwing 2/3 of an inning, allowing four runs on two hits with three walks and one strikeout.
Game 2: Georgia State 13, ULM 4
Georgia State kept its offense going in game two, while ULM struggled after a hot start.
Blaser hit a 2-out, 2-RBI double for the Warhawks in the top of the first inning, bringing home Lunsford and Artzberger for the 2-0 lead.
It started to unravel for the Warhawks in the second inning. GSU loaded the bases with no outs. A wild pitch scored Maginnis to cut the deficit to 2-1. Shultz earned a bases loaded walk to tie the game at 2. Matt Ruiz hit into a fielder's choice, barely beating out the throw at first base to avoid a double play, as Maginnis scored for the 3-2 lead.
GSU poured it on in the third inning. Brennan Hudson scored on a wild pitch before Maginnis hit an RBI double to bring in Jackson. Donohoe clubbed a 3-run homer to cap the 5-run frame as the Panthers led, 8-2.
GSU extended the lead to nine in the fourth as Jackson and Maginnis picked up RBIs and an error allowed Maginnis to score for the 11-2 advantage.
Zach Shaw threw three shutout innings out of the bullpen, allowing three hits for ULM. Lunsford hit a 2-run homer in the seventh inning for ULM before GSU picked the two runs back up in the eighth inning. Lunsford finished with three hits and two RBIs to lead ULM.
GSU was paced offensively by four hits and an RBI by Jackson and three hits with two RBIs by Maginnis.
Quinn McManmon (1-0) earned the win for GSU, throwing five innings, allowing two runs on five hits with six strikeouts and three walks.
Daniel Gonzalez (1-2) took the loss for ULM, pitching into the second inning, allowing three runs on four hits with one walk.
