ATLANTA ? The Georgia State baseball team overcame a three-run deficit and later a one-run margin to complete its sweep of North Carolina Central with a come-from-behind 9-7 win Sunday at The Field at Panthersville. Bradley Logan belted a three-run homer in the fifth that tied the game, and hit the go-ahead two-run double in the eighth to propel the Panthers to the win. Zach Chastain pitched 2.1 innings of scoreless relief to pick up his first career victory.
Trailing 5-2 entering the bottom of the fifth, the Georgia State bats finally woke up. After Mitch Rider and Nick Hogan led off the frame with consecutive singles, Jean-Michel Rochon-Salvas laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the duo up 90 feet. Bradley Logan made N.C. Central starter Jeff Citero (0-6) pay the price, belting a three-run homer to left center that tied the game. With runners at second and third, Derek Simmons drove in the go-ahead run to give the Panthers a 6-5 lead.
North Carolina Central (6-25) battled back to reclaim the lead in the seventh off State reliever Bobby Bennett. Bennett sandwiched a walk between the first and second outs of the frame before getting into a jam. The senior loaded the bases with two straight walks and brought in the tying run with another free pass before surrendering the go-ahead run to NCCU when he hit Oliver Jenkins. Zach Chastain came into relieve Bennett and got State out of the jam without any further damage when he struck out Tim McAllister on a called third strike.
Georgia State (21-16) battled back with a pair of outs in the bottom of the eight. With Mike McCree at the plate, Dusty Bennett stole second and came around to score the tying run on McCree's double down the left field line. Hogan reached first on a bunt single that moved McCree to third and brought Rochon-Salvas to the plate, who worked a free pass from Citero to load the bases for Logan.
With a 1-0 count, Logan slammed the pitch from reliever Alex Weathersby off the wall in left center to score a pair of runs and give the Panthers a 9-7 lead. “We stuck with our game plan. Coach [Frady] says that the longer we hang around in game the better chance we have at winning them,” Logan said about his team's two rallies. “Dusty Bennett's steal of second was the play of the game because without that Mike McCree's double wouldn't have tied the game.”
Justin Goodson led off the ninth with an infield single and advanced to second on a throwing error, putting some pressure on Chastain (1-0). The freshman worked diligently, recording the first out on a fly out. A groundout to first moved Goodson to third, but Chastain stranded the runner when he got pinch hitter Edward Pegues to groundout to Daniel Merck at third.
“We expect close games when you play so many in a close stretch like we did this weekend,” said head coach Greg Frady. “I am very proud of how the team battled because it was a very emotional game with Robert Hasenfelt getting the start and closing his career on a high note.”
Frady was pleased with the performance of his bullpen in tight situations, too. “I thought Joel Reeves and Bobby Bennett both made stops when they had to. Zach Chastain gave us a stop in the seventh when we really needed it, and it was great to see him get the door closed and finish the game for us.”
Logan was the Panther hero offensively, going 3-for-5 with a home run, double and a career-best five RBIs. Hogan went 2-for-5 and scored twice while Simmons drove in two runs with a pair of sacrifice flies.
Georgia State continues its 15-game homestand with a doubleheader against Alabama A&M tomorrow at 3 p.m.
NOTES: Bobby Bennett struck out a season-high four batters ... Jean-Michel Rochon-Salvas collected two walks to register 77 during his career and surpassed Chad Smith (1997-00) for seventh place in school history ... Rochon-Salvas also executed his 13th career sacrifice bunt, moving into a tie with Michael Brand (1993-96) for seventh place in Panther history.
