EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – The Jacksonville State offense erupted for nine runs in the final five innings to complete the Ohio Valley Conference opening weekend series with a 9-6 win on Saturday at the Simmons Complex.
The Gamecocks moved to 9-5 overall and off to a good start in the league with three wins to start conference play. Jax State's sweep avenges a sweep by the Cougars last season at Rudy Abbott Field to start the league slate. Dating back to last season, JSU has now won 11 of the last 14 OVC contests and three out of the last four series, dating back to the sweep of Belmont last April. The Cougars remained winless on the season and fell to 0-12 overall.
After combining for 31 hits in the Friday doubleheader with SIUE, JSU's offensive production started slow against Cougar starter Jarrett Bednar, the Gamecocks warmed up on a cool drizzly day with 10 of their 13 hits from the fifth inning through the final at bat.
SIUE staked Bednar to a 2-0 early lead after a pair of runs in the first inning against Jax State starter
Colton Pate. JSU's first big hit of the contest came via a solo home run by junior
Josh Bobo in the fifth to jump start the batting order. SIUE expanded the lead to 4-1 with the long ball with a two-run blast by Keaton Wright. Wright added another home run in the seventh to finish the day with 3-for-4 and three RBI.
JSU trimmed the lead to 4-3 in the sixth on a key two-out triple to right center by
Taylor Hawthorne, scoring
Tyler Gamble and
Elliot McCummings, who extended the frame with back-to-back singles. The duo of Gamble and McCummings combined for seven hits in the day and three RBI. McCummings was a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate on Sunday.
The Gamecocks rallied in the seventh with three runs on just a pair of hits and took advantage of a pair of SIUE miscues. Pinch hitter
Hayden White started the inning reaching base on a Cougar error, followed by a
Ty Pierce walk.
Gavin Golsan pushed the runners to second and third with a sacrifice bunt. Sophomore
Clayton Daniel drove in the game-tying run on a sacrifice fly to left field. Pierce scored on the second miscue of the inning to give JSU the lead, followed by a McCummings single up the middle to give JSU a 6-4 lead.
Wright's seventh inning blast cut the deficit to 6-5.
JSU added insurance runs with a run in the eighth and a pair of runs in the ninth. Daniel drove in his second RBI with a single to left in the eighth. Gamble started the ninth with an opposite field home run over the fight field fence, followed by a White sacrifice fly to plate Hawthorne, who reached on a fielder's choice.
The JSU bullpen picked up its seventh win of the season after freshman
Garrett Farmer quieted SIUE's bats for three innings. Farmer, from Huntsville, Alabama, posted three strikeouts and allowed three hits and one run to earn his first career win.
Junior
Joe McGuire and redshirt sophomore
Justin Hoyt completed the final two innings. Hoyt grabbed his fourth save of the season after getting the final out of the contest.
The Gamecocks return home on Tuesday, March 15, hosting Oral Roberts at Rudy Abbott Field. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. The Golden Eagles are facing Auburn this weekend before coming to Jacksonville. JSU will host Austin Peay next weekend for its OVC home-opening weekend.
