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Eagles fall in Sun Belt Championship but will host NCAA Regionals
GSU baseball
Georgia Southern senior Jesse Sherrill walks back to the dugout after the last out of the game as the Louisiana Ragin Cajun players celebrate their victory in Sunday's Sun Belt Championship in Montgomery Alabama. - photo by JOSH AUBREY/staff

The Georgia Southern Eagles have been close, but never as close to a Sun Belt tournament title than they were on Sunday in Montgomery Alabama. Georgia Southern has advanced to the Sun Belt tournament championship game in five of the last six tournaments and it looked as though they might finally break through, but a two-run rally by Louisiana ended up ending the Eagles tournament title hopes as they fell 7-6.

 

The Eagles never trailed in the game until the ninth inning. Leading 6-5 in the top of the ninth Eagle reliver Thomas Higgins got the Ragin Cajuns first batter Tyler Robertson to pop out for the first out. Two outs from hoisting their first Sun Belt Championship trophy the wheels fell off. Higgins hit Heath Hood, that was followed by a single by Julian Brock. Robertson advanced to third and then scored on a double steal as catcher J.P. Tighe threw down to second in an attempt to get Brock and the Cajuns tied the game at 6-6.

 

The next batter was Will Veillon who ripped a double to the wall in left center plating Brock who had stolen third, and it was 7-6. The Eagles loaded the bases in the bottom of then ninth and with two outs Noah Ledford stepped to the plate. Ledford has already had a solo hoer and an RBI double, but the Cajuns went to the bullpen and brought in lefty Brandon Talley forcing the switch-hitting Ledford to go to his less dominant right-handed stance. Ledford popped the second pitch he saw into centerfield for the final out and another disappointing tournament second place finish.

 

“I am proud of our kids and proud of the way we competed,” said Eagle coach Rodney Hennon. “This really hurts because I know how bad our guys hate to lose, and especially this one. I know how bad every person that is a part of this program wanted this game and particularly our seniors. We came out swinging the bats really well, they scratched back in it, we came back to take the lead but they were able to come back and score a couple in the ninth. I thought we had a chance in the bottom of the ninth and had Noah up there and he just missed it, but that’s baseball.”

 

The Eagles actually jumped out to an impressive 5-0 lead. Hennon opted to save Jalen Paden for the final game and Paden worked his way out of some jams in the first few innings and got some offensive help. In the second Noah Ledford launched a monster shot to left field clearing the 350-foot wall by about 75 feet for a solo homer and a 1-0 lead. Sam Blancato was just about as impressive moments later as he hit one to close to the same spot to extend the lead to 2-0.

 

The Eagles continued the fireworks in the third as Tighe hit a towering shot to left for the third solo home run of the game and a 3-0 lead. Ledford followed that up with a double to the wall in center scoring Jesse Sherrill for a 4-0 lead. Austin Thompson added an RBI single to make it 5-0 Eagles after three innings.

 

Louisiana reliver Bo Bonds shut the Eagles bats down from there, giving his team a chance to respond which they did. In the fourth Paden was unable to get out of jams and Max Marusak came through with an RBI single, and Carson Roccaforte added a two-run single to cut the lead to 5-3.

 

Paden was replaced by Jay Thompson who struggled in the sixth and seventh giving up an RBI double to Kyle DeBarge and a sacrifice fly to Brock that tied the game at 5-5. The Eagles came back in the eighth to take the lead on a sacrifice fly by Jarrett Brown, but the Cajuns came right back in the ninth to score the tying and winning runs.

 

“We still have a lot to play for.” Said Hennon. “We have to be able to turn the page in the next 48 hours and focus on what is in front of us. I couldn’t be prouder of a group of guys than I am of this bunch.”

 

The Eagles do indeed have a lot to play for and while they didn’t walk away with the tournament title, they did earn the right to host the NCAA Regionals for the first time in school history. The Eagles found out a few hours after their disappointment that they are one of 16 schools hosting the opening round of the NCAA Regionals. An announcement of who will be joining the Eagles in Statesboro will come Monday at noon.