FINAL STATS

MARTIN, Tenn. – Kyle Bluestein and Scott Underwood each hit a three-run home run to lead Jacksonville State to a 13-10 Ohio Valley Conference win over UT Martin in the first game of a three-game conference series on Friday.
 
Aaron Elias (2-3) scattered seven hits and had seven strikeouts in seven solid innings on the mound to earn the win, while Cody Ponder recorded the final two outs to earn his first save of the year. Alec Mills (2-5) got stuck with the loss after giving up eight runs in 4 2/3 innings.
 
UT Martin jumped out to an early 2-0 lead after scoring a pair of runs in the second inning, but the Gamecocks answered in the third after Underwood slugged a three-run home run to take a 3-2 lead.
 
Jax State added two more runs in the fourth after Cal Lambert walked with bases loaded to score Ben Waldrip and Bluestein scored on a Michael Bishop grounder as the Gamecocks built a 5-2 lead.
 
The Skyhawks scored a run in the fourth on a RBI single by Grant Glasser, but Jax State extended the lead after Bluestein hit a three-run homer in the fifth to build an 8-3 lead.
 
The Gamecocks added a pair of unearned runs in the sixth and Sam Eberle drove in another run to push the lead to 11-3.
 
Coty Blanchard then scored on an Eberle sacrifice fly in the eighth inning and Andrew Bishop drove in another run in the ninth inning as the Gamecocks held a 13-3 lead.
 
The Skyhawks then scored seven runs in the bottom of the ninth inning on six straight hits, before Ponder recorded the final two outs to end the game.
 
Blanchard and Eberle each had a pair of hits to lead the Gamecocks, while Underwood and Bluestein each drove in three runs.
 
Glasser and Nico Zych each had three hits, and Jordan Owen, Ben Campbell and Matt Young had two hits each to lead the Skyhawks.
 
The two teams will play the second game of the series on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Skyhawk Field.