Cullowhee, N.C. – Georgia State cashed-in a lead-off walk in the top of the 10th inning with a one-out, run-scoring single to cap a third rally in the game, and then fended off Western Carolina in the home half of the extra frame in handing the Catamounts their third-straight loss, 10-9, on a frigid Wednesday night in nonconference midweek action at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium.
 
Recovering from an early three-run deficit, Western Carolina built a trio of two-run leads in the game but were unable to find timely hitting to build any substantial advantage. The Catamounts stranded the bases loaded four separate times in the loss, missing numerous opportunities and left a combined 16 runners on base in the defeat. WCU was also unable to capitalize on 13 walks and three hit batters.
 
Juniors Daniel Walsh (3-for-5) and Justice Bigbie (3-for-6) led four Catamounts with multi-hit games on Wednesday, both collecting doubles. Classmate Will Prater finished 2-for-3 with a triple and two RBI, reaching base a combined three times with a walk. However, after initially returning to the field in the next half-inning, the Dallas, Ga., native left the game early after colliding with Panther third baseman Griffin Cheney during his entry into the bag at third base on the aforementioned sixth-inning triple. Senior Luke Robinson went 2-for-4 with a sacrifice fly RBI.
 
Redshirt sophomore reliever Zach Franklin (1-1) was the tough-luck loser, the eighth different arm used by the Catamounts in the 10-inning game. The Marion, N.C., native tossed a team-long 2.1 innings in the scheduled staff game, allowing a run on two hits with a walk and an HBP against three strikeouts. Ty McCulloch earned the start and exited on cue after two innings, surrendering three runs on five hits with a walk and a strikeout. Southpaw Andrew Robinson tallied two strikeouts for two of the three outs he recorded while Corey Bright fanned three out of the bullpen in the later innings.
 
Western Carolina grabbed its first lead in the game, 5-4, in the home half of the third inning as Immanuel Wilder delivered an RBI HBP to plate Andrew Bullock. Wilder finished with two RBI, both coming on free passes. Bullock pushed the lead to two with a run-scoring single in the bottom of the fourth inning to make it 6-4. However, the bases were left loaded as consecutive strikeouts thwarted any additional rally.
 
Georgia State (5-3) got one run back in the fifth only to see the Catamounts stretch the advantage back to two in the home half on Robinson's sac fly, RBI, 7-5.
 
A Kyle Riesselman homer and a run-scoring double to left by Cheney knotted the game in the top of the sixth inning, 7-7. But, the Panthers couldn't forge ahead as they stranded the bases loaded. In the bottom of the sixth, WCU reclaimed its two-run advantage on Prater's RBI triple with him later scoring on a muffed catch at first base. The Panthers grabbed a marker in the seventh to trim the lead to one before tying the game in the top of the eighth inning to set-up the extra-inning heroics.
 
Freshman Will Mize was the hero for the Panthers, plating both the game-tying run in the eighth and the game-winning run in the 10th as a part of a 2-for-5, three-RBI performance. Riesselman finished 2-for-4 with a homer while Elilan Merejo and Josh Smith both tallied three hits for the visitors.
 
For Georgia State, Joseph Brandon (1-0) picked up the victory after tossing the final inning and two-thirds of hitless, scoreless relief with four strikeouts. Set-up man Chad Treadway – an Asheville native – likewise struck out four over two innings without allowing a run as the Panthers mounted their comeback.
 
Wednesday's game was originally slated for a 4:00 pm start but was preemptively bumped two hours on Tuesday in anticipation of the forecasted precipitation. Even with the premeditated move, the first pitch was delayed 30+ minutes more because of lingering showers and field preparation. The extra-inning affair lasted nearly four and a half hours with misting rain and snow blowing in the strong winds.
 
Western Carolina (5-3) returns to action this weekend in tournament play, traveling to Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C., for the 2020 First Pitch Invitational, hosted by Michigan State. The Catamounts square-off against Ball State on Friday (5 pm), the host Spartans on Saturday (6 pm) and Kansas on Sunday morning (10 am).