STATESBORO, Ga. — App State faced a three-run deficit going to the bottom of the seventh inning Saturday, but Georgia Southern pulled away to claim a 10-2 win.
Game 3 of the Sun Belt series is scheduled for noon on Sunday.
Peyton Idol went 2-for-3 with a two-run double and two walks and
Bailey Welch was 3-for-4 with one run scored to lead the offense for App State (10-11, 3-2).
Idol's seventh-inning double off the wall to score
Hayden Cross and Welch cut the Mountaineers' deficit to 5-2 against the Eagles (12-9, 2-3).
Noah Ledford's two-run, two-out, two-strike homer and an RBI single that followed an infield error gave Georgia Southern a 3-0 lead after one inning, and App State starter
Quinton Martinez pitched four straight scoreless innings to keep the score the same until the sixth.
A leadoff single in the bottom of the sixth triggered the first pitching change, and a pair of one-out walks preceded a sacrifice fly. A hit batter to reload the bases was followed by a walk for a 5-0 margin. After Idol's two-run double, Georgia Southern scored three times in the seventh inning and twice in the eighth against four App State pitchers.
Georgia Southern starter Chase Dollander struck out 13 batters and allowed two hits in six scoreless innings. Two relievers combined for four strikeouts over the final three innings.
