CHARLESTON, S.C. – Georgia Southern starter Chris Beck recorded a career-high 13 strikeouts to lead the No. 4 Eagles to a 4-2 victory over No. 5 College of Charleston on a early Thursday morning at Riley Park  in the 2011 Southern Conference Baseball Championship. The Cougars fall to 36-21 on the season and will face No. 1 Elon University in an elimination game Thursday afternoon at 1:00 p.m.

Georgia Southern opened a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second as Michael Burruss was hit by a pitch and a bloop single by Tom Richardson fell down the right-field line, moving Burruss to third. Ben Morgan followed with a RBI ground out to second that scored Burruss from third with the game’s first run.

Charleston knotted the game in the top of the fourth when redshirt-junior 3B Matt Leeds (Boca Raton, Fla.) was hit by a 2-0 pitch to lead off the frame and advanced to second when the throw by GSU shortstop Eric Phillips on a grounder by redshirt-junior LF Jose Rodriguez (Hialeah, Fla.) was off line, putting runners at first and second with one out. Junior 1B Marty Gantt (N. Augusta, S.C.) came through with a single through the right side, plating Leeds from second to tie the game.

The Cougars pulled ahead with a single run in the top of the seventh for a 2-1 lead. Gantt led off the inning with a double down the left-field line and one out later, senior SS Jamie Holler (Rock Hill, S.C.) lined a RBI single up the middle to score Gantt and give Charleston its first lead of the game.

Georgia Southern mounted a two-rally in the bottom of the eighth, scoring three runs to take a 4-2 lead. Phillips reached on a bunt single to third and advanced to second on a throwing error by Leeds. Victor Roache was hit by a 1-1 pitch from Charleston starter Josh Renfro (Bradenton, Fla.) and Steve Cochrane knocked a RBI single up the middle to knot the score at 2-2. Burruss followed up with a two-run triple down the right-field line to put the Eagles up 4-2.

Beck earned the win for GSU to improve to 8-4 on the season, allowing two runs – one earned – on five hits in eight innings. Matt Murray picked up his ninth save by tossing a perfect ninth with two strikeouts.

Renfro fell to 9-3 on the year for the Cougars, allowing four runs on seven hits with five strikeouts in the complete-game loss. Gantt led the Cougars’ offense with three hits.