NASHVILLE, Tenn. --Â Belmont dropped the series opener to Georgia State, 4-1, on Thursday afternoon at E.S. Rose Park.
The Bruins were limited to four hits on the day as Georgia State used timely opportunities and capitalized on defensive miscues to secure the win.
Georgia State struck first in the second inning with an RBI single from C. Bailey that plated L. Grantham for a 1-0 lead.
Belmont answered in the fourth when
JD Whitworth doubled to put runners in scoring position, and
Noah Burnham reached on an error that allowed
Landon Godsey to score and even the game at 1-1. The run was unearned, but it marked Belmont's lone breakthrough offensively.
The Panthers regained the lead in the seventh, taking advantage of an error to push across an unearned run. They added insurance in the ninth with two more runs again aided by defensive miscues and a balk to stretch the margin to 4-1.
Belmont's pitching staff kept the Bruins within striking distance for much of the contest. Tate Marland allowed one run over four innings while working around three walks, and the bullpen trio of Krish Gandhi and McKale Stevenson combined to finish the game. Only one of Georgia State's four runs was earned.
Offensively, Belmont received hits from Charlie Davis, Landon Godsey, JD Whitworth, and Mike Sprockett. Davis highlighted the afternoon with a triple in the sixth, but the Bruins were unable to bring him home as Georgia State starter T. Benford recorded 10 strikeouts over six innings to earn the win.
Georgia State finished with six hits to Belmont's four, while both teams committed two errors in a game defined by pitching and missed opportunities.
Belmont will look to bounce back as the series continues this weekend at Rose Park.
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