What you need to know:
* Georgia State improved to 9-7 on the year with a 15-2 rout of Villanova.
* The Panthers won the USF Series Tournament with a 4-1 record.
* GSU will host Kennesaw State Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Panthersville.
CLEARWATER, Fla. – With a 15-2 rout of Villanova Sunday morning, Georgia State's softball team won the USF Series Tournament, finishing with a 4-1 record on the weekend to improve to 9-7 in 2016.
“We put together all three phases of the game today; pitching, defense and hitting. It felt good to finally get the sticks going,” head coach Roger Kincaid said. “I'm very proud of the way Katie Worley is competing in the circle. She gave us a quality outing today and the win was a great way to end the tournament.”
Georgia State erupted in the third inning, scoring nine runs thanks to three home runs in the frame. GSU led 2-0 entering the inning thanks to a Mandy Blackwell two-run shot in the first. Ivie Drake led off the third inning with a solo homer to right field, her fifth of the season. GSU loaded the bases for senior Taylor Anderson who sent a ball over the left field wall for a grand slam. Drake came back up to bat later in the inning with two runners on base and hit a line drive off the scoreboard in right field, her sixth home run of the season. She has hit two home runs in an inning twice in her career.
Starting pitcher Katie Worley (4-0, 2.60 ERA) went four innings, allowed one run on two hits and recorded six strikeouts, giving her 300 for her career, good for eighth-most in GSU history.
Drake finished the game 4-for-4 with three runs scored and six RBI. Freshman Arden Jobe also had a strong performance at the plate, collecting three hits and scoring twice. The Panthers scored their 15 runs on 14 hits.
Georgia State returns home to host Kennesaw State at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Bob Heck Softball Complex.
Schedule (home team in bold):
Friday - Georgia State vs. Villanova – L, 15-2
Friday – Georgia State vs. Eastern Michigan – W, 11-0
Saturday – Georgia State vs. Seton Hall – W, 10-7
Saturday (Semifinal) – Georgia State vs. Eastern Michigan – W, 5-0
Sunday (Final) – Georgia State vs. Villanova – W, 15-2
Notes:
With six strikeouts against Villanova on Sunday, senior pitcher Katie Worley now has 300 career strikeouts. Worley currently sits in ninth on GSU's all-time strikeout list and needs 304 to climb into eighth.
Ivie Drake has 20 walks this season. Entering the weekend, Drake had the fourth-highest walks-per-game ratio in the country. No other Panther has more than six walks so far in 2016.
Georgia State has wins in 2016 against teams from the Big Ten (Maryland), MAC (Miami, Eastern Michigan), ACC (Georgia Tech) and the Big East (St. John's, Villanova, Seton Hall).
GSU has gone 9-2 since the opening weekend with the only losses coming against No. 5 Alabama and Villanova.
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