DESTIN, Fla. – Archer Price and Steven Fisk each won two matches, but the Georgia Southern men’s golf team came up short, falling 3-2 to Georgia State in the Sun Belt Championship match Tuesday at the Raven Golf Club.
    The victory gives the Panthers the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals.
    “Coach Metts and I couldn't be prouder of this team and the toughness they showed every time our backs were against the wall,” GS coach Carter Collins said. “The course played very tough, but we played some great golf every step of the way.
    “Congratulations to Georgia State - they played very well today. We hope to get the opportunity to battle again this time next year.”
    The Eagles were in good shape heading into the back 9 with Brett Barron holding a 1-up lead, Price 3 up and O'Toole trimming an early deficit to 1 down.
    Momentum swung in favor of the Panthers on 11 as two Eagles went in the water. Nick Budd birdied 12 to square the match with Barron and added birdies on 14 and 15 en route to a win, while Nathan Williams won holes 14 and 17 to top O'Toole.
    Price saw his lead disappear late in the round when Max Herrmann won holes 14, 15 and 18, but the junior recovered to win the playoff hole to trim the team score to 2-1.
    With their match all square, Jake Storey put his second shot six feet from the hole on 18, and Alex Herrmann followed by putting his 10 feet from the hole. Herrmann made his putt for birdie and Storey’s slid by hole on the left side. Trailing by a hole heading to 17, Nathan Mallonee conceded his match to Fisk for the final margin.
    “This was our first match play format event in a very long time, but I thought we handled it extremely well,” Collins said. “We won our first matchup earlier this morning with tons of clutch shots and then took our afternoon match to the limit after fighting back with the same toughness we have shown all week.”
    In the semifinals against Arkansas State, the teams teed off on hole 10, and Price got out to a big lead with the help of an ace on the par-3, 130-yard 12th hole. His shot bounced softly behind the hole, took another small hop and eased into the cup.
    Storey won holes 5, 6 and 7 to put away his match and tie the team score 2-2, leaving Fisk and Tanner Napier to decide things. Fisk went 2-up by sinking a 12-footer for birdie on hole 5 and scrambled to halve the par-3 6th after hitting his tee shot over the green.
    Napier cut the deficit by sinking a 12-foot, down-hill putt to win hole 7 but left his tee shot on the par-3 8th short. His chip ran past the hole by 10 feet, and he made bogey. Fisk put his tee shot on the green, rolled his first putt close and made the 2-footer to end the match.
    The Eagles now await a hopeful at-large invitation to the NCAA Regionals. The selection show will air May 5 at noon on the Golf Channel.