JACKSONVILLE – Jacksonville State senior closer Travis Stout matched the Ohio Valley Conference's career saves mark on Friday as the Gamecocks topped Eastern Illinois, 6-4, in the first game of the three-game weekend series at Rudy Abbott Field.

Stout, who picked up his third save of the season after tossing the ninth, matched former Austin Peay standout Tyler Rogers, who finished with 35 career saves for the Govs.

The Smyrna, Georgia-native got two quick outs before the Panthers (0-14, 0-4 OVC) tried to stake a comeback with a pair of runners on base before he got EIU to pop in foul ground to end it.

The Gamecocks (10-8, 3-4 OVC) had to come from behind as EIU plated a run in each of the first two innings off of Jax State starter Zachary Fowler.  Fowler settled in after the first two frames to post his second quality start in the last two weekends.  The Daphne, Alabama-right hander tossed six innings and allowed six hits and turned in six strikeouts. 

JSU, after having just six hits on Wednesday at Alabama State, tacked on 12 hits against EIU pitching and did all of its scoring in the middle innings.  JSU put the first run on the board in the third after junior Paschal Petrongolo connected on one of his three hits on the evening with a single to right, to bring home Gavin Golsan.  After taking a 3-2 lead with a two spot in the fourth, EIU evened the contest with a run in the fifth.  JSU had back-to-back hits in the fourth to take the lead for the first time after a single by sophomore Peyton Williams and a double by freshman Hayden White.

Petrongolo and Ryan Sebra, the Co-OVC Player of the Week, highlighted the JSU half of the fifth.  After a Clayton Daniel walk to start the inning and his swipe of second base, Petrongolo laced a double to left center for the RBI.  Sebra drove in Petrongolo with an opposite field single to right.

The Gamecocks ran in to some trouble in the seventh as the Panthers threatened for a big inning after three straight walks to load the bases.  EIU scored just one run on Demetre Taylor's single up the middle.  Sophomore Joe McGuire would strike out the next two hitters and end the threat with a pop up second.  McGuire finished off the seventh and returned for the eighth and allowed just one hit and three strikeouts before handing things over to Stout in the ninth.

Sebra and Elliot McCummings joined Petrongolo in the line up with multiple hits.

The Gamecocks and Panthers will play a Saturday doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. to close out the series.  The threat of inclement weather on Sunday forced the two clubs to play a twinbill at Rudy Abbott Field on Saturday.  The second game of the DH will begin 30 minutes after the 1 p.m. contest.