What you need to know:
* Georgia State fell to 0-2 on the season with losses to No. 6 Oregon and Cal Poly.
* GSU rallied to tie the game against Cal Poly before losing on a walk-off single in the seventh.
* GSU will face Indiana and No. 23 Utah on Saturday to continue the three-day Kajikawa Classic.
TEMPE, Ariz. – Playing well past midnight at the Kajikawa Classic in Arizona, Georgia State came up short on Opening Day, losing to No. 6 Oregon and Cal Poly to fall to 0-2 on the season.
In the first game of the season, the Panthers lost 11-0 in six innings to sixth-ranked Oregon. Freshman Reagan Morgan broke up the Ducks' no-hit bid with a single in the third and Ivie Drake recorded the only other GSU hit. Freshman Amanda Chance got the start in the circle, but Oregon's high-powered offense forced GSU head coach Roger Kincaid to go to his bullpen in the third inning.
After being held scoreless for two innings, the Ducks opened the game up in the top of the sixth with four runs to go on top 11-0. The Panthers were retired in order in the bottom half of the inning to seal the defeat.
Originally scheduled to begin at 9:30 p.m. local time, GSU and Cal Poly didn't get underway until 11:25 p.m. With Cal Poly holding a 1-0 lead and GSU at the plate in the third inning, junior Mandy Blackwell sent a line drive over the center field wall to tie the game. The Mustangs responded with two runs in the bottom half of the third, setting the stage for another comeback by the Panthers.
Taylor Anderson led off the fourth and reached base on a dropped third strike. After two quick outs, Megan Litumbe stepped up to the plate looking to drive in Anderson. Instead, the junior launched a deep fly ball to left-center to even the score at 3-3. Cal Poly would go on to regain the lead again in the bottom of the fifth to go up 4-3. Anderson came through again, this time with a ground-rule double to score a run.
Chelsea Stanfield relieved starting pitcher Katie Worley in the fifth inning and held the Mustangs and stayed in to pitch the seventh. After the leadoff batter reached second with a ground-rule double, Chance was brought in to try and hold the Mustangs off the board. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Cal Poly's Mckenna Young drove a 3-1 pitch into center field to win it for the Mustangs.
GSU's game against Cal Poly ended at 1:45 a.m. local time, or 3:45 in Atlanta. Georgia State has no time to think about sleep, however, as GSU will take on Indiana Saturday at 2 p.m. EST. After that, the Panthers will have a small break before a meeting with No. 23 Utah at 9 p.m. Georgia State closes out the Kajikawa Classic Sunday morning against No. 24 Notre Dame.
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