CHARLESTON, S.C. - Junior pitcher Terri Mesko (McDonough, Ga.) threw a complete game and scattered seven hits while allowing only one run but it was not enough  as Georgia Southern (8-10, 1-0) pulled out a 1-0 victory over the College of Charleston (4-11, 0-1) in the Southern Conference opener for both teams.

Following a scoreless first inning, Georgia Southern jumped out to the early lead in the second inning as sophomore designated hitter Megen Smith drilled a 2-0 pitch over the left field fence for a 1-0 Eagle lead. Sophomore pitcher Brianna Streetmon made that lead hold up through three innings as she no-hit the Cougars before allowing a single up the middle by senior designated hitter Shannon Howard (Carmichael, Calif.) with two outs in the fourth.

GSU would threaten again in the top of the fifth inning when back-to-back singles and a sacrifice bunt put runners on second and third with one out. Following a ground ball back to the pitcher for the second out, the Cougars elected to intentionally walk senior third baseman Robyne Siliga, the Eagles primary power threat, to load the bases. Junior pitcher Terri Mesko (McDonough, Ga.) then induced an inning-ending fly out to centerfield by senior centerfielder Amanda Hall to get out of the jam.

Charleston took advantage of a throwing error to get the lead off batter on in the bottom of the fifth inning but could only advance the runner to third base before the Eagles ended the threat. GSU would mount their own challenge in the seventh inning as they loaded the bases with two outs before fouling out to send it the bottom of the frame at 1-0. CofC rallied with another lead off hit and once again advanced the runner to third before Georgia Southern closed out the one-run victory with a ground out.

Megen Smith led the Eagles with a 2-for-3 outing that included the game's only run on a solo shot to left field while junior infielder Nina Iduate finished 2-for-3. Streetmon picked up the win for Georgia Southern, moving to 3-3 on the season following a complete game, two-hit shutout and six strikeouts.

For the Cougars, Howard delivered both hits as she went 2-for-3 on the day while Mesko pitched a solid game, allowing only the one run and seven hits while notching three strikeouts. She is now six strikeouts away from passing Rachael Stern for the all-time program record of 462.

The Cougars play the second game of their double-header against Georgia Southern later this afternoon.