Georgia Southern will honor former head baseball coach Jack Stallings during the game against Furman on Saturday. Admission for the game will be $1 in honor of Stallings’ retired number #1 uniform he wore in his 24 years as the skipper for the Eagles.
    Coach Stallings will throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the game gets underway at 2:30 p.m. The first 1,000 fans to enter the gates will receive a mini-poster that includes highlights of his career at Georgia Southern.
    Stallings coached for 24 of his 39 seasons at Georgia Southern and is the 18th-winningest coach in college baseball history. A 2004 inductee of the Georgia Southern Athletics Hall of Fame, he compiled an 858-581-5 record with the Eagles and led them to the College World Series in 1990 as well as four other NCAA appearances. When J.I. Clements Stadium was rededicated in 2005, the playing field was named in honor of Stallings.

Lady Eagles fall to Mercer
    A torrential downpour put an end to Georgia Southern’s game against Mercer on Wednesday, March 9th, with the Eagles down 6-1. The rains came with no outs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Georgia Southern’s offensive output came from Shelby Morrill’s solo home run off the right field foul pole in the fifth inning.
    In the second inning, Mercer took advantage of a pair of Georgia Southern fielding miscues to score two runs. The Bears posted two more in the third inning off a pair of bases-loaded walks by starting pitcher Megen Smith.
    Georgia Southern sprang to life when Morrill scored her first career home run on a towering shot that hit the right field foul pole. The long-ball carried through the strong winds that were blowing straight in from right field. Junior Mackenzie Williams reached on a fielding error by the Mercer third baseman, but pinch runner Nicole Benton would be unable to score after being moved over on a sacrifice bunt.
    Mercer tacked on two insurance runs in the sixth inning as Smith was replaced by SoCon Preseason Pitcher of the Year, Brianna Streetmon. Smith left the game throwing five and a third innings and allowing six runs, three earned off five hits. She struck out four Mercer batters and threw 107 pitches in the outing.
    Streetmon tossed a three-up-three down seventh frame, but the rain moved in as the Eagle’s Tabby Douberley saw the first pitch of her at bat. The rain intensified rapidly and the tarp was moved onto the field. The game was called and all statistics reverted to the previous completed inning.
    Mercer’s Kari Chambers pitched through the final inning to earn the victory and improve to 6-4 while Smith was dealt the loss to fall to 0-3. 
    Georgia Southern will play host to Mount St. Marys for a doubleheader starting at 3 p.m. on Thursday afternoon. The first 50 fans will receive free food courtesy of Domino’s Pizza.

    If you have a score to report, please call the Statesboro Herald sports desk at (912) 489-9408.