ATLANTA – Runs in the second, third, fifth and seventh innings marked a complete win for the App State softball team on Saturday against the Georgia State Panthers, as the Mountaineers tallied a 10-1 victory to mark their third Sun Belt series win in the last four series. App State clubbed three homers in the game, which included back-to-back jacks by
Grace Barrett and
Madison McIntyre and a seventh-inning grand slam by
Makayla McClain.
App State's (19-23, 9-8 SBC) 10-run game against Georgia State (11-35, 2-15 SBC) marked its fifth game scoring at least 10 runs against a Sun Belt opponent. It's also the sixth time in the last nine games that the Mountaineers have posted eight or more runs.
Ava Beamesderfer, who made her first start since Feb. 23 against Syracuse, bounced off her offense in a big way as she posted her first career complete game, allowing just three hits and striking out three batters. App State's three hits allowed against the Panthers were tied for the second-fewest allowed in a game this season.
Barrett provided another big game in her home state of Georgia, accounting for four of App State's 10 RBIs, which ties her season high for runs driven in a game. Barrett went 2-4 at the plate with a two-run home run in the fifth inning and a two-RBI double in the third inning. She has accounted for five RBIs over the first two games in Atlanta and now has 14 RBIs in five career games against Georgia State.
In addition to Barrett's stellar day at the dish, McIntyre reached base all four times she stepped to the plate and hit her eighth home run of the season in the fifth frame. McIntyre has reached base seven times in her first eight plate appearances against Georgia State and has recorded two doubles and a home run.
How it Happened
Georgia State tallied two consecutive baserunners to open the game in the bottom of the first inning after posting a zero on defense, but Beamesderfer struck out two in a row to help her get out of the jam unharmed. The Mountaineers answered the scoreless inning by Beamesderfer and scored the game's first run in the top of the second.
After the Panthers struck out the first two hitters of the frame, back-to-back doubles by McIntyre and
Marti Henkel helped plate the first run of the game, putting App State on top.
Julia Girk drew a walk after the RBI double, but a strikeout ended the inning. Beamesderfer retaliated by throwing up a perfect bottom of the second, and the Mountaineers led by one after two full innings.
App State scored twice more in the third inning thanks to two doubles by McClain and Barrett and crucial walks drawn by
Taylor Chumbley and McIntyre. McClain led off the inning with a double to center field, App State's third of the night to that point, and after two outs, Chumbley walked to put two on for Barrett. Despite falling behind 0-2 in the count, Barrett laced a two-run double over the left fielder's head, which sent both McClain and Chumbley home to make the score 3-0. McIntyre walked after Barrett's double, but Georgia State got out of the inning.
Answering her offense, Beamesderfer posted her third straight zero to open her start, working around a walk to do so. App State went quietly in the top of the fourth, but Beamesderfer sat down the Panthers in order in the bottom half. Beamesderfer had retired 12 of the last 13 hitters she had faced after her perfect inning.
A walk to
Macy Hamby and a two-run homer by Barrett quickly made the score 5-0 in the top of the fifth inning. Barrett's long two-run home run was her first since March 8 against UMass Lowell. A batter later, McIntyre launched a long solo homer inside the right-field foul pole to extend App State's lead to six after the fifth.
The Panthers scored their first run of the game in the bottom of the fifth on a wild pitch, which would be the only time Beamesderfer allowed a run in the game. Girk and
Summer Simpson drew walks to lead off the sixth frame, but despite loading the bases after
Leah Gore drew a walk, the Panthers sent action to the final inning on a fielder's choice.
App State scored four more runs on McClain's 11th home run of the season in the seventh inning, putting it into double digits for the fifth time against a Sun Belt team. McIntyre walked, and Henkel reached on a throwing error before Simpson walked for the second time to load the bases with two outs for the leadoff hitter. On a 3-2 pitch, McClain unloaded on a ball and sent it high over the left-field wall for App State's sixth grand slam of the season. Georgia State got out of the inning, but App State led by nine and needed three more outs to secure the series.
Beamesderfer needed just 11 pitches to retire the side in the bottom of the seventh inning, closing out her complete-game effort with a bang. It was the sophomore's first career complete game and sealed the Mountaineers' ninth Sun Belt win of the year.
Friday Notes
Home runs
App: Barrett (4), McIntyre (8), McClain (11)
GSU: N/A
WP:
Ava Beamesderfer (3-4): 7 IP, 3 hits, 1 run, 4 walks, 3 strikeouts
SV: N/A
LP: Makayla Stephens (3-10): 4.2 IP, 6 hits, 6 runs, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts
Up Next
App State will look to complete the three-game sweep of Georgia State at Bob Heck Softball Complex on Sunday at 1 p.m. Sunday's game can be streamed on ESPN+.
