Sunday, February 27
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
1 p.m.
Jacksonville State University
12
at
9
Middle Tennessee State
Gamecocks Rally To Sweep Middle Tennessee
2/27/2011 5:23:36 PM | Baseball
FINAL STATS
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The Jacksonville State baseball team rallied from seven runs down on Sunday to sweep Middle Tennessee with a 12-9 win in 10 innings at Reese Smith Jr. Field.
Trailing by seven as late as the top of the eighth, the Gamecocks (3-2) scored six runs in the ninth to tie the game and three in the 10th to sweep the Blue Raiders (1-6) in a three-game set for the first time in school history.
Junior Sam Eberle doubled in the second, hit a solo home run in the eighth and belted a grand slam in the ninth to highlight a 3-for-6 day that saw the Chattanooga, Tenn., native score three times and drive in five runs. Freshman Coty Blanchard, who made his collegiate debut on Friday, went 3-for-4 with a two-run double in the 10th inning of Sunday's series finale to cap a weekend that saw the Leesburg, Ala., native go 7-for-12 with a double, triple and five RBI.
Blanchard and fellow freshman Michael Bishop each had three hits to lead a group of JSU newcomers that recorded 11 of the Gamecocks' 15 hits in Sunday's win. Freshman Andrew Bishop was 1-for-5 on the day but drove in three runs, two on a tying single in the ninth, and another on a sacrifice fly in the 10th.
The Gamecocks rally led to their fifth straight win in the series with the Blue Raiders and their sixth in the last seven meetings.
The Gamecocks got on the board first in the top of the second inning, thanks to back-to-back doubles from Eberle and Ben Waldrip that put them up 1-0. The Blue Raiders didn't trail for long, tying the game in the home half of the second on a leadoff homer from Dalton Henzman.
They took their first lead of the series in the third, thanks to a five-run frame that was driven by back-to-back home runs, a three-run homer from Will Skinner and a solo shot by Davis Pearce.
After an RBI single by freshman Stephen Bartlett, his first career hit, plated Michael Bishop and cut the MTSU lead to 6-2 in the sixth, The Blue Raiders seemed to break the game open in the seventh with three runs, only one earned, off of two costly JSU fielding errors.
The Gamecocks got one back in the eighth on Eberle's first home run of the season, an opposite field fly ball that used the wind to carry over the wall in right.
Trailing 9-3 going into the top of the ninth, head coach Jim Case sent three-straight pinch hitters to the plate and all reached, setting the table for Eberle's grand slam. His second homer of the day followed a pinch-hit single from freshman Scott Underwood, his first career hit, a walk from senior Matt McLaughlin and a single by junior Jay Davis in his first at bat of the year.
The line drive over the wall in right cut the MTSU lead to two, and then a walk by junior Ben Waldrip and a double by Michael Bishop set up Andrew Bishop's two-out game-tying single.
In the top of the 10th, the Gamecocks wasted little time, getting a leadoff walk by Davis, a double by Waldrip and a walk by Michael Bishop to load the bases for Blanchard. The freshman came through, finding the gap in left center for a two-run double that proved to be the game-winning hit. Andrew Bishop then capped the inning with a sacrifice fly to right that sealed the game.
Sophomore Hunter Rivers (1-0) earned the win in relief for JSU, holding the Blue Raiders scoreless on three hits in 1.2 innings on the mound. Sophomore Robby Lilly set the stage for Rivers, allowing just one hit in 1.1 innings after junior Tanner Freshour surrendered three runs, only one earned, on five hits in four innings.
Junior Daniel Watts started the game but gave up six runs on eight hits in just three innings.
Cody Tollison (0-1) suffered the loss for MTSU, giving up four runs on four hits and four walks in just one inning, just after Justin Guidry surrendered six runs on five hits and two walks in 2.1 innings of work. Starter Jud Stoltz allowed two runs on six hits in six innings on the mound.
The Gamecocks will be back on the diamond on Tuesday, when they travel to Birmingham to face UAB at 3 p.m. They will return home on Friday to start a four-game series with Harvard at Rudy Abbott Field. Friday's game is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The Jacksonville State baseball team rallied from seven runs down on Sunday to sweep Middle Tennessee with a 12-9 win in 10 innings at Reese Smith Jr. Field.
Trailing by seven as late as the top of the eighth, the Gamecocks (3-2) scored six runs in the ninth to tie the game and three in the 10th to sweep the Blue Raiders (1-6) in a three-game set for the first time in school history.
Junior Sam Eberle doubled in the second, hit a solo home run in the eighth and belted a grand slam in the ninth to highlight a 3-for-6 day that saw the Chattanooga, Tenn., native score three times and drive in five runs. Freshman Coty Blanchard, who made his collegiate debut on Friday, went 3-for-4 with a two-run double in the 10th inning of Sunday's series finale to cap a weekend that saw the Leesburg, Ala., native go 7-for-12 with a double, triple and five RBI.
Blanchard and fellow freshman Michael Bishop each had three hits to lead a group of JSU newcomers that recorded 11 of the Gamecocks' 15 hits in Sunday's win. Freshman Andrew Bishop was 1-for-5 on the day but drove in three runs, two on a tying single in the ninth, and another on a sacrifice fly in the 10th.
The Gamecocks rally led to their fifth straight win in the series with the Blue Raiders and their sixth in the last seven meetings.
The Gamecocks got on the board first in the top of the second inning, thanks to back-to-back doubles from Eberle and Ben Waldrip that put them up 1-0. The Blue Raiders didn't trail for long, tying the game in the home half of the second on a leadoff homer from Dalton Henzman.
They took their first lead of the series in the third, thanks to a five-run frame that was driven by back-to-back home runs, a three-run homer from Will Skinner and a solo shot by Davis Pearce.
After an RBI single by freshman Stephen Bartlett, his first career hit, plated Michael Bishop and cut the MTSU lead to 6-2 in the sixth, The Blue Raiders seemed to break the game open in the seventh with three runs, only one earned, off of two costly JSU fielding errors.
The Gamecocks got one back in the eighth on Eberle's first home run of the season, an opposite field fly ball that used the wind to carry over the wall in right.
Trailing 9-3 going into the top of the ninth, head coach Jim Case sent three-straight pinch hitters to the plate and all reached, setting the table for Eberle's grand slam. His second homer of the day followed a pinch-hit single from freshman Scott Underwood, his first career hit, a walk from senior Matt McLaughlin and a single by junior Jay Davis in his first at bat of the year.
The line drive over the wall in right cut the MTSU lead to two, and then a walk by junior Ben Waldrip and a double by Michael Bishop set up Andrew Bishop's two-out game-tying single.
In the top of the 10th, the Gamecocks wasted little time, getting a leadoff walk by Davis, a double by Waldrip and a walk by Michael Bishop to load the bases for Blanchard. The freshman came through, finding the gap in left center for a two-run double that proved to be the game-winning hit. Andrew Bishop then capped the inning with a sacrifice fly to right that sealed the game.
Sophomore Hunter Rivers (1-0) earned the win in relief for JSU, holding the Blue Raiders scoreless on three hits in 1.2 innings on the mound. Sophomore Robby Lilly set the stage for Rivers, allowing just one hit in 1.1 innings after junior Tanner Freshour surrendered three runs, only one earned, on five hits in four innings.
Junior Daniel Watts started the game but gave up six runs on eight hits in just three innings.
Cody Tollison (0-1) suffered the loss for MTSU, giving up four runs on four hits and four walks in just one inning, just after Justin Guidry surrendered six runs on five hits and two walks in 2.1 innings of work. Starter Jud Stoltz allowed two runs on six hits in six innings on the mound.
The Gamecocks will be back on the diamond on Tuesday, when they travel to Birmingham to face UAB at 3 p.m. They will return home on Friday to start a four-game series with Harvard at Rudy Abbott Field. Friday's game is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.
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