STATESBORO, Ga. (Interstat) — Georgia Southern staged a dramatic comeback and walked off with a 6-5 victory over Georgia State on Saturday afternoon at J. I. Clements Stadium, earning the Eagles a split of the Sun Belt doubleheader after the Panthers had swept a twin bill Friday.

The Eagles trailed 5-2 entering the bottom of the seventh inning but chipped away and finally tied the game in the eighth before Brady Christman delivered a walk-off single in the ninth. Georgia Southern improved to 15-37 overall, while Georgia State fell to 24-27.

Wills Maginnis led the Panthers with three hits in five at-bats, including a home run and three runs batted in. Cole Roberts started on the mound for Georgia State and threw six innings without allowing a hit, though he surrendered three earned runs on walks and a hit batter while striking out four. Alex Mason worked six innings for Georgia Southern, allowing seven hits and two earned runs with three strikeouts. Will Robbins relieved Mason and gave up three hits over three scoreless innings with two strikeouts.

Georgia State struck quickly in the top of the first inning. John Beverley doubled down the left-field line and scored on a single through the left side by Wesley Bass. The Panthers added two more runs in the second after Austin Sellers reached on a fielding error by first baseman James McCoy. Maginnis followed by homering to deep left field, his seventh of the season, scoring Sellers for a 5-0 lead.

Georgia Southern answered in the bottom of the third. Jack Myers was hit by a pitch, and Nico Senese crushed a two-run home run to cut the deficit to 5-2. The Eagles pulled closer in the fourth when Sean White doubled, advanced to third on a groundout and scored on a sacrifice fly by Myers.

The Panthers restored their three-run cushion in the fifth. Bass doubled and scored on a fielder’s choice that resulted in another error, this time by second baseman Myers. Maginnis added an RBI double in the sixth to make it 5-3.

Georgia Southern began its comeback in the seventh. After Niall Todd relieved Roberts, Edwards walked and scored on a double by McCoy that also advanced McCoy to third. Christman was intentionally walked, but Trammell struck out to end the inning. In the eighth, Sammy Leis pinch-hit and homered to deep center field, tying the game at 5-5.

The Eagles loaded the bases in the ninth. Bennett Edwards walked, McCoy walked and Christman lined a single up the middle that scored Edwards for the walk-off victory.

Each team finished with 10 hits. Senese went 1 for 4 with a homer and two RBIs for Georgia Southern. Christman was 2 for 4 with the game-winning RBI. Leis had one hit in one at-bat. For Georgia State, Bass collected two hits and an RBI, and Beverley added two doubles. Georgia State had won both ends of Friday’s doubleheader, 10-5 and 5-1. The Panthers next host Appalachian State for a three-game series starting May 14. Georgia Southern hosts College of Charleston on May 12 before traveling to Southern Mississippi.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Georgia State 3, Georgia Southern 4, and the Eagles held a 52.70 percent win probability according to the ELO system.