GAME ONE STATS  |  GAME TWO STATS

CARBONDALE, Ill – Southern Illinois used big innings in both games as the Salukis claimed two wins over Jacksonville State on Saturday, winning 13-5 in the opener and 10-5 in the second game.
 
Cameron Maldonado scattered six hits and had four strikeouts in seven innings on the mound to earn the win in the opener. Daniel Watts gave up nine hits and seven runs in 3 2/3 innings to suffer the loss for the Gamecocks.
 
Jax State (2-11) took an early lead after Coty Blanchard scored on a Kyle Bluestein sacrifice fly in the first inning and Kyle Stone scored on an Erik Underwood RBI single in the second inning as the Gamecocks took a 2-0 lead, but SIU quickly answered.
 
Southern Illinois (11-5) scored a run in the second on a sacrifice fly by Brian Bajer, before Chris Serritella hit a 3-run home run in the third inning to give the Salukis a 4-2 lead. Serritella finished the game with four hits and also drove in four runs.
 
SIU scored four more runs in the fourth, highlighted by a two-RBI double by Austin Montgomery, to build an 8-2 advantage, before Ben Waldrip hit a solo home run for Jax State in the fifth inning to slice the lead to 8-3.
 
The Salukis added a run in the fifth, two in the sixth, one in the seventh and eighth innings to hold a 13-3 lead, before Jax State pushed across two runs in the ninth inning as Waldrip and Bluestein each knocked in a run for the final margin.
 
Waldrip, Bluestein and Blanchard each had two hits, while Waldrip and Bluestein each added a pair of RBI to lead the Gamecocks.
 
In the second game, Austin Montgomery had four hits as SIU claimed a 10-5 lead to sweep the Gamecocks in the night cap.
 
Nathan Dorris allowed just one earned run in six innings to earn the win, while Tyler Dray earned the save after recording the final four outs. Bradley Raulston suffered the loss for the Gamecocks after giving up just five hits in three innings.
 
The Gamecocks jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning after Waldrip drove in two runs with a double to right field, but SIU took the lead in the second inning after Luke Mottashed drove in two runs with a double and Donny Duschinsky singled in another run to give the Salukis a 3-2 lead.
 
Southern Illinois extended the lead in the fourth on a RBI single by Harding for a 4-2 lead, but the Gamecocks scored in the fifth when Waldrip drove in his third run of the game.
 
The Salukis answered by scoring three runs in the home half of the fifth to build a 7-3 lead, but Jax State plated two runs when Erik Underwood and Sam Eberle both scored on infield grounders to cut the lead to 7-5.
 
Southern Illinois sealed the game by scoring three runs in the eighth inning for the final margin.
 
Andrew Bishop and Blanchard led the Gamecocks with two hits, while Waldrip finished with three RBI.
 
Jacksonville State continues its nine-game road trip against Iowa on Thursday as the Gamecocks play in the Russ Matt Central Florida games.  JSU will also play Bradley, Long Island, Nebraska-Omaha and Northwestern during the trip.