SCHEDULE UPDATE: The Atlanta Challenge will conclude with a day-night doubleheader Saturday. GSU will host West Virginia at noon and UIC at 6 p.m.
ATLANTA -- Georgia State tied the game in the bottom of the ninth inning with three runs on Daino Deas' triple but the Panthers fell 13-6 to Richmond on Opening Day at the GSU Baseball Complex in Game 1 of the Atlanta Challenge.
Richmond's seven-run 10th inning spoiled a strong start by GSU's Preseason All-American Hunter Gaddis, who tossed seven inning allowed two runs on four hits with seven strikeouts and no walks.
The Spiders (1-0) struck first on Anthony Forte's two-run homer in the fourth inning. But the Panthers answered in the home half as sophomore third baseman Ryan Glass blasted a two-run homer to left center to tie the game at 2-2. That is the second straight year that Glass has homered on Opening Day; in last season's opener, he homered in his first collegiate at-bat.
The Richmond homer snapped a string of 12 consecutive scoreless innings by Gaddis, going back to the final week of 2018.
Georgia State (0-1) pushed across the go-ahead in the sixth as sophomore shortstop Kalen Puckett drew a two-out, bases-loaded walk.
After Gaddis left the game with a 3-2 lead after seven innings, Richmond moved ahead 6-3 with four runs in the eighth, including Tyler Plantier's three-run homer.
In the bottom of the ninth, Puckett drew a one-out walk and then senior Luke Leonard walked with two outs to put runners at first and second. Deas came to the plate and the junior second baseman smacked the first pitch into the right centerfield gap. Both runners scored, and as Deas raced for third, the relay throw from shortstop Daniel Little was wild, allowing Deas to score the tying run.
But in the top of the 10th, Forte and Little delivered two-run doubles in the seven-run frame.
Richmond reliever Layne Looney (1-0) finished the game with 1.2 innings to earn the victory, while Rhett Harper (0-1) took the loss in his first outing after missing 2017 due to elbow surgery.
"It's disappointing to lose when Hunter pitches so well," head coach Greg Frady said. "We didn't pitch well enough out of the bullpen, we didn't play enough good defense and we didn't hit tonight. We had a couple of opportunities to get the game where we wanted it, but we have to play better to win against a good team like Richmond. We have to be better in all three phrases."
With rain in the forecast for Sunday, Georgia State will conclude the Atlanta Challenge with a day-night doubleheader Saturday as the Panthers host West Virginia at noon and UIC at 6 p.m. at the GSU Baseball Complex.
