ATLANTA, GA – Following a nearly three-hour weather delay, Charleston Southern weathered the storm and defeated Georgia State by a 15-7 final score on Friday in the series opener. The Buccaneers had an eight run sixth inning power them to the lead and the win with the game lasting past midnight, creeping into the first hour of Saturday morning. The victory boosts them to 11-2 on the year, their best 13-game start in program history.
Charleston Southern’s Lucas Pringle batted in the first run of the day for either team in the top of the first with an RBI single to center that scored Caden Wolfley. The Panthers quickly responded by scoring five runs across the first two innings to go up 5-1. In the third, Alex Marot had an RBI to score Wolfley and Gavin Speirs had a sacrifice fly to bring Chandler Tuupo home, cutting the deficit to 5-3. In the bottom half of the inning, rain, fog and lightning entered the area leading to a delay that went for nearly three hours total.
Coming out of the delay, the teams traded 0s until a massive sixth inning from the Bucs. In the inning, there were 13 batters that went to the plate with Blake Edgmon and Wolfley both having two plate appearances in the inning with an RBI along with Nathan Martinez crossing home twice. Once the Panthers got to two outs in the frame, the Bucs stringed together seven consecutive successful at bats that had either a hit, walk or hit by pitch leading to the big inning.
The Panthers were able to score two in the bottom of the seventh and cut the lead to 11-7, but Charleston Southern continued to pour it on offensively. They tallied another three in the eighth and one in the ninth to have the final scoreline at 15-7.
As a team, Charleston Southern finished with 15 hits to go along with 10 walks and six hit by pitches. Marot and Martinez led the squad in hits with four apiece while Wolfley and Edgmon each had a pair of hits as well. Marot and Edgmon both had three RBIs, with Wolfley and Pringle having two. Wolfley and Martinez both scored four runs to lead the team.
On the mound, Titus Von Kapff earned the win with five innings of work, throwing before the delay and after it. He allowed seven hits, three walks and five earned runs. Jack Bunnell was the only relief pitcher that was used and tossed the final 4.0 innings for his third save of the season. He allowed two earned runs while giving up three hits and a walk in the outing.
Charleston Southern will return to the GSU Baseball Complex to finish off the series on Saturday, March 7. Due to impending weather, the Sunday game has been moved up, and Saturday will now feature a doubleheader with the first game starting at noon.