FINAL STATS  |  PHOTO GALLERY

JACKSON, Tenn. – Kyle Bluestein had three hits and Ben Waldrip drove in four runs as Jacksonville State rallied for a 9-4 win over Eastern Kentucky in an elimination game at the 2012 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament on Friday.
 
Jax State (28-29) will play No. 1 seed Austin Peay at 3 p.m. this afternoon with the winner advancing to Saturday's semi-final game.
 
Hunter Rivers (6-3) scattered eight hits and had seven strikeouts with no walks to earn the win for the Gamecocks. EKU's Greg Terry (2-4) suffered the loss after giving up three hits and two runs in 1 1/3 innings for the Colonels.
 
Eastern Kentucky (28-29) took the early lead after Richie Rodriguez led the game off with a solo home run, before the Colonels added a run in the second and fourth inning as EKU took a 3-0 lead.
 
Jax State managed just one hit through five innings off EKU starter Matt Harris, but took advantage of a pair of walks after Scott Underwood doubled to left center to drive in two runs. Underwood advanced to third on a wild pitch before Sam Eberle walked. Waldrip then hit a deep fly ball to centerfield to score Underwood and tie the game at 3-3.
 
The Gamecocks took the lead in the bottom of the seventh inning after Cal Lambert led off with a single and moved to second on Andrew Bishop's sacrifice bunt. Kyle Stone then had a two-out single to right field to score Lambert and give Jax State a 4-3 lead.
 
Back-to-back walks to Scott Underwood and Sam Eberle loaded the bases for Waldrip, who hit a deep fly ball off the top of the wall in left field to score three runs and extend the Gamecocks lead to 7-3. Bluestein followed with a double to left field to score Waldrip and give Jax State an 8-3 lead.
 
Jacksonville State added an insurance run in the eighth inning after Stone had a RBI single to right field to give JSU a 9-3 lead.
 
Eastern Kentucky scored its final run after Rodriguez had a RBI single through the left side for the final margin.
 
Stone added a pair of hits to go with Bluestein's three hits to lead the Gamecocks, while Scott Underwood and Stone each had a pair of RBI to go with Waldrip's four RBI.
 
Rodriguez had three hits, while A.J. Jamison and Dustin Dunlop each had a pair of hits to lead the Colonels.