Junior Wofford pitcher Cash Collins made the most of his first-career start against Georgia Southern.
    The junior lefty went seven innings of two-hit ball to shut down GSU as the Terriers took Game 1 of a three-game series, 7-2, Friday at J.I. Clements Stadium.    
    Collins (8-2), who entered the game tied for first for wins in the SoCon, went deep into athe ballgame as he held the Eagles in check.
    Georgia Southern got into scoring position only three times, the first two involving walks to Victor Roache.
    Roache — the leading home run hitter in NCAA Division I with 23 home runs — didn’t see anything he could hit throughout the contest. He walked in the first, fourth and sixth innings and was hit by a pitch from WC relief pitcher Bobby Streisel in the eighth.
    Michael Burruss singled into first and moved to second base on a two-out walk to Roache, but both were stranded.
    The next GSU runner to reach scoring position happened in the fourth after back-to-back walks to Roache and Steven Cochrane with one out. Collins struck out back-to-back Eagles to get out of another threat.
    Georgia Southern finally scored in the bottom of the seventh when Stryker Brown hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Shawn Payne, who reached on the fifth Collins walk and advanced on an error, unearned to cut the score to 7-1.
    Collins didn’t allow an earned run and left the game with five strikeouts and only three base hits.
    Roache scored in the eighth on an RBI single by Payne.
    Wofford did most of its damage in the sixth inning, pushing five runs across the plate — only one earned — on three different GSU pitchers.
    Jarret Leverett, Josh Adams and Colin Snow combined to pitch the fifth and sixth.
    The Eagles committed four errors in the contest.
    Taylor Burke pitched the final three innings, allowing two walks and two hits and no runs.
    Chris Beck, the GSU starter, pitched the first four innings and gave up two earned runs on five hits. He struck out four.
    The series resumes today at 2:30 p.m. as Justin Hess will get the call.
    
    Matt Yogus can be reached at (912) 489-9408.