What you need to know:
* Georgia State (25-24, 8-9 SBC) split Saturday's doubleheader with UT Arlington, losing in Game 1 and winning Game 2.
* Katie Worley went the distance in Game 2 and struck out 10 as the Panthers won 7-2.
* Sunday's rubber match will start at noon.
ATLANTA – Rebounding from an 8-6 loss to UT Arlington in Game 1, Georgia State used a complete game from senior Katie Worley and a home run from sophomore Ivie Drake to even the series with a 7-2 win over the Mavericks.
Game 1 | UTA 8, GSU 6
UT Arlington scored three runs in the seventh to build an 8-4 lead over the Panthers. GSU rallied in the bottom half, but came up two runs short. Kensey Caldwell went 3-for-4 with a double and three RBI in the game, picking up her 100th career RBI. Caldwell is the 10th Panther to reach the benchmark. Mandy Blackwell also went 3-for-4 in the game and added an RBI.
Mistakes were costly for GSU in the first game. The Panthers committed two errors and walked three batters. Georgia State stranded nine runners in the contest while tallying 12 hits.
Game 2 | UTA 2, GSU 7
Worley got the start in the second game and held UTA to just two runs on five hits. Worley matched her season-high for strikeouts, getting the final batter of the game looking for her 10th of the day.
Worley's run support came off the bat of Drake, who finished a triple short of the cycle. Drake launched her 12th home run of the season in the first inning to pull within three of the GSU career home run record. Drake currently sits at 35 and needs 38 to tie Callie Alford's mark set a year ago. Drake struck again in the third inning with an RBI-double and polished off her 3-for-4 game with an RBI-single in the fifth.
Caldwell hit the ball well in Game 2 also, picking up two more RBI on three hits including a double.
After totaling 22 hits in the first two games, Georgia State will go for the series win Sunday at noon. Follow along with Georgia State on Twitter (@GSU_Softball) for the latest news.
