FINAL STATS

MARTIN, Tenn. – Jacksonville State won its sixth straight Ohio Valley Conference series after recording a season-high 20 hits as the Gamecocks claimed a 14-8 win over UT Martin on Sunday.
 
Hunter Rivers (2-3) scattered eight hits in five innings on the mound to earn his second win of the season, while Carter Smith (3-2) gave up eight runs in 3 2/3 innings to suffer the loss for the Skyhawks.
 
The Gamecocks (14-20) also recorded season-highs in runs (14), RBI (14) and doubles (4) to improve to 8-4 in the OVC and remain tied for second place, just behind Austin Peay's 9-2 conference mark.
 
Scott Underwood, Ben Waldrip, Kyle Bluestein and Michael Bishop each had three hits, while Sam Eberle, Cal Lambert and Kyle Stone each added a pair of hits for the Gamecocks.
 
The Skyhawks (10-25, 4-8) took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, but the Gamecocks took the lead for good after scoring five runs in the top of the second inning highlighted by a three-run home run by Michael Bishop. It was the third home run of the season for Bishop.
 
UTM cut the lead to 5-3 in the home half of the second after Matt Young scored on a single by Sonny Mastromattro, but Jax State answered after Blanchard, Eberle and Scott Underwood each had RBI singles with two outs to extend the Gamecocks lead to 8-3.
 
Chase Okey hit a solo home run in the fifth inning for UTM to cut the lead to 8-4, but Jax State added two runs after Bluestein and Waldrip each drove in a run with back-to-back doubles to make the score 10-4 in the top of the sixth inning. Waldrip extended his hitting streak to a team-best 10 games after finishing with three doubles in the game.
 
The Gamecocks tacked on four more runs in the eighth inning after Scott Underwood led off with a solo home run, hit third of the season, while Lambert had a two-RBI double and Bishop plated a run with an infield single to extend the lead to 14-4.
 
The Skyhawks scored a run in the eighth and three more in the ninth inning for the final margin. Okey, Jordan Owen and Grant Glassey each had two hits to lead UTM at the plate.
 
Jacksonville State returns to action on Tuesday as the Gamecocks travel to face Kennesaw State at 5 p.m., before returning home to host Murray State in a three-game OVC series next weekend.