App State softball grabbed their first Sun Belt series win of the season this weekend in the High Country in sensational style. The Mountaineers won two of three games against Georgia State University, one of which came in walk-off fashion, and set a new single-season home run record in the process.
Georgia State won the series opener Friday 15-7. The Panthers’ bats started off hot with a 6-run first inning that featured a 30-minute rain delay, 5 hits and a 2-run home run. The Mountaineers committed 2 errors in the inning and finished with 5 in the game.
After a second stoppage for rain, freshman infielder Taylor Schafer hit an RBI single in the bottom of the first putting App State on the board. Later in the inning, sophomore infielder Emilie Ching cut the deficit to 2 with a 3-run bomb to left field.
The Panthers answered with their own 3-run home run in the top of the second inning.Â
Junior outfielder KB Bradshaw slapped an RBI single in the bottom of the third inning that kept App State within touching distance, but Georgia State grabbed a 13-5 lead with a 4-run fourth inning.
Ching roped an RBI double in the bottom of the fourth inning, and sophomore catcher Leah Gore followed up Ching’s two-bagger with an RBI double of her own. However, the Panthers earned those runs back with a 2-run shot in the top of the fifth inning, cementing the run-rule victory in 5 innings.
The Mountaineers came back to Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium Saturday looking to exact revenge, and they did just that, winning 11-1 in 5 innings.
After the Panthers collected a base hit and scored on a sacrifice bunt in the first inning, freshman right-handed pitcher Camryn Fisher found her rhythm in the circle. Fisher allowed only 1 hit the rest of the game and struck out 4 batters in a dominant outing.
The offense came to play as well, going off for 7 runs in the third inning. Junior outfielder Macy Hamby tied the game with an RBI single, and a few batters later with the bases loaded, junior infielder Grace Barrett cracked a 3-run triple off the right field wall. Barrett scored on a bad throw to the catcher to complete the trip around the bases. The App State dugout and fans erupted in cheers, and Barrett’s teammates mobbed her in celebration.
Sophomore outfielder Julia Girk joined the party with a 2-run single later in the inning to cap the 7-run outburst.
Ching continued her strong weekend with a 2-RBI single in the bottom of the fourth, then Gore legged out an RBI triple to make it 10-1. Gore scored on a groundout by Bradshaw, and Fisher shut down the Panthers in the top of the fifth to secure the win and even the series at a win apiece.
Georgia State jumped out to a 7-0 lead Sunday with 2 runs in the first inning and a 5-run barrage in the top of the second. Fisher was pulled for senior left-handed pitcher Sophie Moshos.
Moshos quieted the Panthers bats, but the Mountaineers couldn’t get anything going on offense with only 1 hit through the first 3 innings.
App State got on the board with a long home run by Hamby in the bottom of the fourth inning. The Black and Gold continued to chip away in the fifth inning, as freshman utility player Madison Fletcher launched a 2-run blast off the scoreboard. Hamby added another run with a single, making it 7-4.
The Panthers threatened in the top of the sixth inning with runners on second and third with 1 out, but Moshos induced a popout and strikeout to escape the jam.
Heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, the Mountaineers still trailed by 3. App State’s home run leader, senior infielder Makayla McClain, came up to bat with 2 runners on base. McClain obliterated a 3-run shot to tie the game, admiring her work by watching the ball soar out of the stadium and flipping her bat for good measure.
McClain’s 17th blast of the year tied her with Katie Boyd for the most home runs in a single season and set the new team record for the most in a year at 59. Her heroics erased the Panthers’ 7-0 lead and sent the game to extra innings.
A scoreless eighth inning led to the ninth, and after Moshos blanked the Panthers for the seventh inning of her 118-pitch relief appearance, the Mountaineers had a chance to walk it off.
McClain drew a 1-out walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. With 2 outs, Barrett hit a slow-rolling ground ball to the Panthers’ shortstop, meaning the only chance to get an out was at home. With McClain rounding third base, the throw went home. McClain dove under the tag and scored the game-winning run on a ball that never left the infield.
McClain spiked her helmet in jubilation, and the entire team swarmed her to celebrate the 8-7 walk-off win. The comeback victory improved the Mountaineers to a 4-5 conference record and 23-10 overall record.
App State hits the road to face Marshall University April 2-4. Game one of the series begins Friday at 6 p.m. and all 3 games will be streamed live on ESPN+.
