TROY, Ala. – Playing the fourth game between the two teams in the past week the No. 5 Georgia State Panthers upset the No. 4 seed Georgia Southern Eagles, 3-2, in game one of the 2015 Sun Belt Conference Baseball Championship at Riddle-Pace Field in Troy, Ala.

The Panthers (30-25) and Eagles (30-26) played a three-game final regular season series with the Eagles winning two-of-three games in the series. However, it was the Panthers who struck first in the tournament and held on for the one-run win.

GSU’s Wayne Wages was the winning pitcher as he filled in nicely for junior starter Nathan Bates. Wages, a junior, went 1.1 innings with two strikeouts in five batters faced. Bates went 6.1 innings allowing two runs on five hits. Senior Kevin Burgee earned the save for the Panthers ending the Eagles threat in the bottom of the ninth. It was Burgees eighth save on the year.

The Panthers opened up the scoring in the top of the third thanks to Matt Rose’s single to center with two outs. David Levy and Trae Sweeting would score on the play for the Panthers.

Levy led off the inning with a walk and would advance to second on a single by Sweeting. Shortstop Justin Jones would advance the runners to second and third on a ground ball to third base. Senior Caden Bailey was walked and then Rose singled in the two runs for the Panthers. Junior Joey Roach struck out to end the Panther threat.

The Eagles finally got on the board in the bottom of the seventh as senior Hunter Thomas would walk to lead off the inning. Senior Dalton Busby singled down left field line advancing Thomas to second with no outs. A sacrifice bunt by Cody Langford pushed Thomas to third and Busby to second. Freshman Will Hudgins pinch hit for fellow freshman Logan Baldwin and delivered with a single to left field scoring Thomas from third. Cal Baker, a sophomore, squeezed in Busby from third despite Bates’ attempt to field the ball cleanly as Busby slide across home to knot the score at two apiece.

GSU’s regained the lead shortly thereafter in the top of the eighth inning as Sweeting drove in the go ahead and eventual winning run with a single to left field. Sweeting’s hit drove in pinch hitter, Cam Sperry, who singled to left field and advanced to second on a single by Levy.

The Eagles threatened in the bottom of the first as they had runners on the corners with no outs following a lead-off double from Kody Adams and a wild pitch by Bates. Bates then struck out Ryan Cleveland and was able to get Chase Griffin to ground into an inning-ending double play.

The Panthers await the winner of Wednesday’s second game between No. 1 seed South Alabama and No. 8 seed Arkansas State. GSU and the winner of the USA/A-State matchup will play Thursday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. CT.

The Eagles move into the loser’s bracket and will face the USA/A-State loser at 9:00 a.m. CT on Thursday.