Baseball Drops Opener to Georgia State

Atlanta, Georgia - (February 13, 2015) - Georgia State starting pitcher Nathan Bates through 6 2/3 innings of no-hit ball, while Matt Rose hit a pair of home runs, as the Panthers defeated the Fordham Rams, 11-3, in the season opener for both teams.
 
After a scoreless first inning, Georgia State picked up three RBI-singles in the second inning to take a 3-0 lead.
 
In the third, Georgia State's Matt Rose blasted his first home run of the season to left, to make it a 4-0 game.
 
The Panthers tacked on three more in the sixth, extending the lead to 7-0.  The rally was highlighted by a pinch-hit two-run triple by James Clements.
 
Bates was on cruise control, as he allowed only one baserunner through 6 2/3 innings, as Ryan Mahoney drew a walk in the third.  The Rams then broke up the no-hit bid with two outs in the seventh, as Charles Galiano singled to center.
 
Trailing 8-0, Fordham cracked the scoreboard on a pinch-hit RBI-single from Jordan Gajdos, scoring Ryan McNally from third.  McNally was hit by a pitch and reached third on a pair of wild pitches.
 
The Panthers capped their scoring in the bottom of the eighth, when Rose hit his second home run of the day, this time a three-run shot to make it, 11-1.
 
Fordham added a pair of runs in the ninth, as Luke Stampfl connected on his first career home run, a two-run shot, which scored pinch-hitter Joseph DeVito, who opened the inning with a walk.
 
For Fordham, Brett Kennedy (0-1) took the loss, as he allowed four runs on six hits in five innings of work with six strikeouts.  David Wright, Shane McDonald, Alex Hladik, and Parker Barnell all saw action out of the bullpen.
 
The Fordham baseball team continues play at the Atlanta Challenge on Saturday, as the Rams will play a doubleheader at Georgia Tech, beginning at noon.