DECATUR, Ga. | Georgia State's Chloe Middlebrook laid down a squeeze bunt and beat the throw to first to break a scoreless tie in the bottom of the seventh and give the Panthers a 1-0 win over South Alabama Friday night at the Bob E. Heck Softball Complex.

Amity White was 2-for-3 at the plate for the Jags who fall to 14-17 overall and 3-1 in SBC play. Olivia Branstetter also reached twice with a walk and a hit-by-pitch.

Ryley Harrison (6-4) struck out a career-high 10 batters in the loss.

Makayla Stephens (3-5) held the Jags to just four hits and struck out nine in her complete-game shutout effort for Georgia State (9-22, 1-3 SBC).

Quotable – head coach Becky Clark
- On the tough loss: "Toss loss for us tonight. I thought we got out played and out executed tonight. Ryley (Harrison) gave us a chance to win the game and kept us in it. We had our opportunities but we weren't able to put a ball in play when we needed to. I'm really disappointed in our compete level today. I hope that we come back out with a little more sense of urgency tomorrow."

How It Happened 
•    Georgia State threatened in the bottom of the first as the first three batters reached to load the bases. Middlebrooks was hit by a pitch and Maia Mumpfield and Jordan Rayner each singled, but Harrison was able to get out of the jam as she snagged a liner back to the circle and doubled off the runner at third and then struck out McKenzie Walker to end the threat.
•    South Alabama had a scoring opportunity the next half inning as Stephanie Gonzalez lined a one-out single to center and White lined a single of her own off the first baseman's glove, but Stephens was able to strand the two Jaguar runners with a strike out and a fly out to right. 
•    Ryleigh Garrett doubled to center with one out in the GSU second, who then moved up to third on a wild pitch. Stephens followed with a walk to put runners at the corners and she then stole second to put a pair in scoring position for the Panthers. After a 10-pitch at-bat, Zoey Defoor drew a walk to load the bases, but Harrison was able to again escape with a strikeout and a fly out to left.  
•    Caitlyn Gavin lined a one-out single to right in the Jaguar fifth, snapping a streak of nine straight retired by Stephens, but the sophomore would go on to retire the next two with a strikeout and a ground out
•    Branstetter reached for the second time as she was hit by a pitch – the seventh time this season that she has been hit – to begin the top of the sixth for South Alabama. With one out, Branstetter stole second to move into scoring position, but Stephens was again able to work out of it with a strikeout.
•    With one away in the top of the seventh, White lined a double to center – her second hit of the contest. White then moved to third on a wild pitch, but Stephens retired the next two Jaguar batters with back-to-back strikeouts.
•    Ashton Schroyer was initial called out but after video replay on a challenge, she was ruled safe for an infield single in the bottom of the seventh. The infield single snapped a streak of 14-straight retired by Harrison. Schroyer stole second to move into scoring position on a called third strike for the second out of the inning. Defoor then singled through the left side of the infield and advanced to second on an error on the throw home. Middlebrook then laid down a bunt and beat the throw to first, allowing Schroyer to come home for the game-winning run (GSU, 1-0). 

Postgame Notes
•    The meeting marked the 29th in the all-time series and the 13th on the Panthers' home field
•    The win by the Panthers snapped an eight-game win streak in the series by South Alabama
•    With her first-inning walk, Branstetter has now reached base in in 18-straight games – a career best – and 21 of her last 23 games
•    The 18-game reached base safely streak for Branstetter moved her into the program's Top 20 in the category tied for 19th-longest streak 
•    Branstetter has now been hit by a pitch 16 times in her career and a team-high seven this spring
•    The 10 strikeouts were a new career best for Harrison, eclipsing her previous best of nine set against UMass last season

Up Next
•    South Alabama will continue the series with Georgia State on Saturday with first pitch for game two set for 2 p.m. (CT).

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