The Georgia Southern baseball team defeated the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns, 6-5, in a four hour back-to-back battle during their first game of the Sun Belt Tournament thanks to a late rally.

The tournament, held at Coastal Carolina University, started Tuesday with single elimination games. South Alabama and GS rival Appalachian State were eliminated.

With two scoreless innings from both teams, GS was the first to get on the board in the third behind a home run from junior outfielder Mason McWhorter, which also brought Mason Miller to the home plate, putting the Eagles up 2-0.

They kept this lead until the fifth, when Louisiana evened the score due to an Eagle fielding error.

Another scoreless two innings went by, but Miller put another one on the board in the eighth.

UL immediately responded in the next inning to tie the game at three and force extra innings.

In the eleventh inning, UL hit a single and scored a run on another Eagle error, taking a 4-3 lead.

At the bottom of the eleventh, GS rallied behind an RBI from sophomore outfielder Noah Searcy, scoring in fellow sophomore outfielder Nolan Tressler.

An uneventful twelfth inning set up a showdown where both teams were fighting to extend their season.

UL kept their spirits high after a home run from redshirt senior catcher Handsome Monica seemed to salvage their season.

GS came out determined at the bottom on the thirteenth inning. Senior Steven Curry capitalized off of a wild pitch to add another run to the board, while McWhorter was deemed the hero for scoring the winning run off of another wild pitch.

McWhorter and Miller led the Eagles with four combined runs. Curry and Tressler each contributed one. 

Junior pitcher Seth Shuman took the victory for GS, pitching six innings. He struck out five and walked two, while allowing two runs.

With this victory, the team will advance to play Little Rock tomorrow at 4 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+. 

Amanda Arnold, The George-Anne Sports Editor, gasports@georgiasouthern.edu