ATLANTA – After Texas State pummeled Georgia State, 12-2, in the series opener Friday night, the Panthers were able to rebound with a 10-5 victory over the Bobcats on Saturday. The game was back-and-forth early, but GSU benefitted from a six-run fifth inning that proved to be the difference to drop Texas State to 11-12 in the Sun Belt Conference and 19-26-1 overall.
 
Georgia State scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the first inning. Top home run hitter Matt Rose knocked a two-out double and catcher Joey Roach followed with a two-out walk. With two on, designated hitter Jack Thompson knocked a single to plate Rose and give the Panthers an early 1-0 lead.
 
Texas State, however, answered back with four runs in the top of the third inning on back-to-back home runs. Cory Geisler and Cedric Vallieres hit consecutive singles with one out, Vallieres reaching on a bunt single. With those two on base, Granger Studdard knocked his team-high 10^th home run of the season to put the Bobcats on top, 3-1. Tanner Hill followed with his second home run of the series and his seventh of the season, hitting a solo shot to give Texas State a 4-1 lead. Unfortunately, Texas State would not score another run until the seventh inning.
 
The Panthers plated one in the fourth, using three consecutive singles to pull within two runs, then Georgia State put together the team's impressive six-run inning. Rose started a string of four consecutive singles. After two outs, the Panthers knocked three more hits, one of which was the first career home run for freshman leadoff man Justin Jones. Georgia State used seven hits, a walk and a Texas State error to bust the game open and finish the inning with an 8-4 lead.
 
It was hard for Texas State to answer after that. The Panthers added a run each in the sixth and eighth innings around a Bobcat run in the seventh. Geisler led off with a double into the left field corner and went to third on a single from Vallieres. That duo, by the way, is hitting .600 in the series. Vallieres has only been retired twice in two games. With both of them on base, Hill plated Geisler with a sacrifice fly for the final run of the game for Texas State.
 
Trying to rally in the ninth, Geisler worked back from down 0-2 to earn a leadoff walk. A groundout and consecutive strikeouts for the Bobcats, though, ended the game, and tied the series, 1-1.
 
Geisler led the team in hits, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a walk. Vallieres also finished with multiple hits, going 2-for-4 with a run and a walk. Studdard, however, led the team in RBI with his three-run homer, while Hill added two RBI on his solo home run and sacrifice fly. Hill has two homers in as many days in Atlanta.
 
Despite losing, the Bobcats still put up 10 hits in the game with all but two spots in the lineup striking a hit in the game.
 
The series finale's first pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m. CST/12 p.m. EST. For the Bobcats, it will be Jeremy Hallonquist on the mound facing junior righty Cole Uvila from Georgia State.