Statesboro, Ga. – The App State offense struggled to find its rhythm on Friday, falling 9-0 to Georgia Southern for the Mountaineers' first loss of Sun Belt play.
App State (11-10, 3-1) registered just four hits, all singles, and only once advanced a runner past second base. It marks the first time in 21 games that App State has been held scoreless this season.
Caleb Cross kept the Mountaineers in the ballgame, with his work on the mound. Cross pitched into the seventh inning of play, allowing just three runs across his first six innings. However, Cross allowed the first two men to reach in the seventh, before being lifted from the contest, and it spiraled into a six-run frame for the Eagles to push a 3-0 lead to a 9-0 advantage.
The costly home half of the seventh came on the heels of a missed opportunity in the top half of the inning. App State worked a pair of one-out walks to put two men on base in the inning, but a 6-4-3 inning-ending double play kept the Mountaineers off the scoreboard.
Daniel Haab led the Eagles attack, going 4-for-4 with a pair of triples and three runs knocked in. Haab put the Eagles on the board with an RBI triple in the fourth inning, and followed the hit with a sac fly to put the Eagles ahead, 2-0. Haab also capped the six-run seventh inning with a two-run single up the middle.
On the mound, Kade Grundy struck out six, giving up just a pair of hits and three walks while striking out six in 6.1 innings in the start for Georgia Southern.
Braxton Church registered a two-hit game for App State at the plate.
The Mountaineers will look to even the series on Saturday, with first pitch in the middle game of the series set for 2 p.m.
The 2025 App State Baseball season is presented by Chick-fil-A.
