The Georgia State Panthers scored six runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to rally back from an early 2-0 deficit and take the 9-2 win over the Presbyterian College softball team Saturday afternoon at the Panther Invitational in Atlanta, Ga.
The Blue Hose fall to 3-5, while Georgia State improves to 7-2. PC opens the home season at the PC Softball Complex Wednesday, Feb. 25, with a 2 p.m., doubleheader against South Carolina State.
Shelby Petik led the Blue Hose with a hit and two RBI, both of them coming in the top of the first inning off a two-run home run, her second of the season, as PC jumped out to an early 2-0 lead.
Although the Blue Hose scattered five hits the remainder of the game, three of them coming from Jill McLean in a three-for-four effort, they were unable to plate anymore runs, despite putting a runner in scoring position six times.
Georgia State opened the fourth inning with a double by Ivie Drake, who led the team with three hits and two RBI. The Panthers followed it up with a two-run home run by Callie Alford to tie the game up at two apiece.
Georgia State rattled off back to back hits, with a sacrifice bunt and a base hit up the middle brought them home. Two more runs would come in during the fourth as GSU built a 6-2 lead.
A two-RBI double by Taylor Anderson, who finished with two hits, brought in two runs in the fifth, while a home run by Drake in the sixth gave GSU the eventual 9-2 win.
PC finished with eight hits, compared to 10 for Georgia State. Sydney Seigler started for PC and went 3.0 innings, surrendering two runs off four hits. Natasha Sherrod pitched 0.2 innings, giving up four runs off three hits for the loss (1-2). Taylor Thorpe pitched a complete game for Georgia State, giving up two runs off eight hits with three strikeouts.
