WILMINGTON, N.C. – Senior Daniel Hargrave tripled to lead off the 11th inning and scored on a 1-out balk to lift UNC Wilmington to a 6-5 win over Georgia State on Friday in the first game of a 3-game Colonial Athletic Association series at Brooks Field.

The Seahawks halted a brief 2-game losing skid and improved to 24-7-1 overall and 14-1-1 in the circuit. The Panthers, meanwhile, dropped their second straight and fell to 18-13 and 7-8.

Freshman reliever Stephen Harrold evened his record at 2-2 after tossing 2 2/3 innings of 1-hit, shutout baseball for the Seahawks.

Sophomore David Ferrer (2-1) was saddled with the loss, walking three and allowing one hit in 1 2/3 innings out of the bullpen for GSU.

Hargrave finished 3-for-6 with two doubles, a triple and drove in three runs.

Juniors Marc Mimeault and Derek Simmons led a 13-hit attack for the Panthers with three hits apiece.

The Panthers scored the first run of the game when Mimeault singled into centerfield with two outs off UNCW sophomore starter Seth Frankoff.

The Seahawks answered with two runs in their half of the first to take the lead, 2-1. Hargrave doubled off the leftfield wall and senior Mark Carver launched his 11th homer of the season.

Hargrave struck again in the second with a bases-load, 3-run double down the leftfield line.

GSU narrowed its deficit to 5-2 with an unearned run in the third. Junior Matt Van Horn plated junior Chase Childers, who reached on a walk earlier in the inning.

The Panthers cut into the lead with a run in the seventh when Mimeault singled in Childers, who started a 2-out rally with a double off Frankoff.

In the eighth, Georgia State cut it to 5-4 on a sacrifice fly off the bat off junior Nick Hogan. Consecutive singles by Simmons and junior Dusty Bennett opened the inning and knocked Frankoff out of the game. A sacrifice bunt moved both runners up for Hogan.

UNCW had a chance to add to its lead in the eighth with runners at second and third with one out, but senior Jes Snyder punched out looking and the Seahawks were unable to pate any runs.

GSU finally drew even in the ninth on a safety squeeze bunt by Van Horn that scored Childers, who opened the ninth with a single.

The Seahawks threatened in the 10th inning, loading the bases, but Ferrer pitched out of the jam with a short fly ball to left and a strikeout to close out the inning.

In the 11th, Hargrave tripled past a diving Van Horn. Appel grounded out to shortstop, but couldn’t knock in Hargrave. GSU intentionally walked Carver and UNCW followed with freshman pinch hitter Alex Hill. Ferrer committed the balk on his second pitch to the lefthanded hitting Hill

The series continues on Saturday with a 1 p.m. start at Brooks Field. The game was moved up due to expected rain in the area late Saturday afternoon.

 

Notes: Opponents have scored in the first inning four straight games ... Daniel Hargrave moved into seventh all-time with 47 doubles ... Hargrave also moved into sixth all-time with 141 career runs batted in ... UNCW improved to 13-2 at Brooks Field ... The Seahawks are now 8-3 in games decided by two runs or less ... Both teams combined to go 8-for48 with runners on base and left 24 runners on base.