The Georgia State baseball team opened the 2009 season with a come-from-behind 6-5 win over Cleveland State (0-1) on Friday night at The Field at Panthersville. Senior Nick Hogan knocked in the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the Panthers (1-0) the victory, who won their third consecutive home opener.
“It was great to get a win on opening day,” commented Head Coach Greg Frady. “We have been feeling very confident in the way we have been practicing and I had a lot of faith during the game that the boys that we would find a way to win today.”
Sophomore Aiden Francis, making his first appearance with the Panthers, pitched 3 1/3 innings of no-hit relief to get the win.
“I have had tremendous faith in Aiden as a pitcher and although this was his first appearance with us, he definitely is not a rookie,” commented Frady.
Francis faced the final 11 batters of the game, striking out four Viking hitters for the win.
“I feel as though everything finally paid off for me tonight,” commented Francis. “I put a lot of work in back in Australia and it was definitely something that was worth waiting for.”
The sophomore had to sit out his first year at Georgia State due to NCAA regulations from when he pitched back home in his native country of Australia.
Hogan, who was one of the many heroes for the Panthers on Friday night, finished the game with a pair of walks, including a hit by pitch, while scoring two runs for the Panthers.
Junior Brooks Wallace Watch List member Bradley Logan had a pair of RBIs, while Derek Simmons and Marc Mimeault drove in the other two runs.
The Vikings got on the board in the first in the first inning after back-to-back doubles by Brad Buell and Travis Miller off senior Robinson Polanco. Polanco would settle down to strike out the final two batters of the inning and start a stretch of retiring seven batters in a row.
The Panthers tacked a run on in the bottom of the first after Nick Hogan led off the inning with a walk. Senior Derek Simmons followed that with another walk and advanced on a wild pitch. After a Logan ground out, Hogan scored the first Panther run of the season.
Georgia State would strike again in the third, scoring three runs off Viking starter Josh Hungerman. After Hogan got hit by a pitch to start the inning, Simmons doubled to score Hogan. A Chase Childers walk to put runners on first and third a Derek Simmons stolen base. Simmons would score on a throwing error by the catcher, allowing Logan to reach first and advancing Childers. A single by junior transfer Carl Moniz scored the Panthers third running of the inning.
The Vikings would strike right back in the top of the fourth, tying the game at 4-4. Freshman Ben Marshall would relieve starter Robinson Polanco, who lasted 3 2/3 innings by getting Josh Hungerman to ground out to the pitcher. Polanco allowed four runs on three hits with five walks in the no decision.
Cleveland State would go up 5-4 in the top of the sixth, but it would be short lived as Georgia State would tie it up again in the bottom of the sixth. Kyle McGuire would relieve Hungerman with two outs in the inning, however a passed ball by McGuire would score senior Mike McCree.
McGuire earned the loss after pitching the final 2 1/3 innings in relief.
The two teams will meet again on Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at noon, with the final game of the four game series coming on Sunday.
