JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State baseball team opened Ohio Valley Conference play with an 8-4 loss to SIU Edwardsville on Saturday afternoon at Rudy Abbott Field.
The loss snapped a two-game winning streak for the Gamecocks, who fell to 6-4 overall. The Cougars recorded their first win of the season after starting the year 0-8. The two clubs will close out the three-game OVC series on Sunday with a doubleheader at 1 p.m. The weekend series, which was shifted to Saturday, Sunday and Monday, due to weather has another change with the Sunday twinbill with a significant chance for more weather related issues on Monday.
SIUE took advantage of five uncharacteristic miscues by the Gamecocks in the field as just four of SIUE's four runs were earned. SIUE plated three of its runs in the first three innings with just one hit to its credit. The second error in the Cougars' second plate appearance aided in the first two runs of the contest. After Chase Green reached base to start the frame after a JSU error at shortstop, the Cougars' catcher Parker Guinn belted the fourth home run of the season by SIUE. SIUE added its third run without a hit in the third inning after the starting the inning with a pair of Jax State errors. Nick Lombardo scored on Alec Saikal's sacrifice fly to center.
SIUE extended the lead to 4-0 in the fourth after Skyler Geissenger singled and scored on Dustin Woodchuck's triple. The Cougars, who finished with 11 hits, had four extra base hits in the win.
JSU, having not played since last Sunday, kicked it in gear in the fourth with a pair of runs on junior
Paul Angel's first home run of the year and his first in a Gamecock uniform. After Elliott McCummings reached base via a walk, Angel, from Birmingham, Ala., crushed a two-run home run to right center.
Jax State starter,
Zachary Fowler settled in and limited the SIUE offense in the fifth and sixth and had new life after the Gamecocks equalized with a two-run fourth after McCummings laced a two RBI single to left.
Fowler would run in to trouble in the seventh as SIUE would regain the lead after Saikal second RBI of the day. SIUE would add two insurance runs in the eighth and another in the ninth to preserve the first win of the year. Fowler saddled the loss and moved to 1-2 on the season, while SIUE's Brett Thomas came in relief to notch the win. Zach Malach earned his first save of the year.
Junior
Paschal Petrongolo and
Ryan Sebra paced the JSU line up with a pair of hits each.
The Sunday doubleheader will be available on the Gamecock Sports Network and via love stats at JSUGamecockSports.com.
