App State softball dropped its series finale against Georgia State in extra innings on Sunday, 7-5.

After claiming the series win on Friday, the Mountaineers tied the Panthers through the first seven, with each team scoring three runs. Georgia State added four in the top of the eighth to take a 7-3 lead. Kayt Houston and Kylie LaRousa hit back-to-back home runs to cut the lead in half, but the Black and Gold fell two runs short.

Houston and Mary Pierce Barnes each went 3-4 from the plate, increasing their impressive season averages. Barnes leads the Sun Belt with a .479 average in conference play, while Houston ranks ninth in league with a .374 rating for the entire season.

The Mountaineers struck first with two runs in the bottom of the first. Kaley Coltrain earned an RBI to bring Houston home after a single by Barnes. Addie Wray followed that with an RBI single to increase the lead to two.

Despite keeping the Panthers scoreless through six of the first seven innings, the App State defense gave up three runs in the third.

Georgia State led by a run until Emily Parrott hit her first bomb of the season in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game. The score remained 3-3 until the eighth inning when the Panthers pulled ahead.

Kaylie Northrop, Sejal Neas and Delani Buckner combined for nine strikeouts in the circle, the most that the Mountaineers have had against a conference opponent this season.

App State’s three home runs were also a season-high.

The Black and Gold will head to James Madison for a weekend series that is set to begin on Friday at 4 p.m.

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