CHARLESTON, Ill. – Senior Tyler Gamble powered Jacksonville State to its eighth consecutive Ohio Valley Conference win to start league play and clinch the series against Eastern Illinois after disposing the Panthers 10-3 on Friday afternoon at Coaches Stadium.

Gamble padded the Gamecocks lead with a two-out double in the seventh and broke open a tight contest with a two-run home run to left field in the ninth to secure Jax State's 15^th win of the season and remained perfect against OVC foes.  The start against the OVC is the best start in the program's history as JSU matched the best start with Friday's 6-4 series-opening win over EIU.  The 2007 club opened the league schedule with back-to-back sweeps of Samford and Austin Peay and took the first game of the series with Southeast Missouri for the seven straight wins.  The Gamecocks will be looking for the third consecutive sweep in OVC play on Sunday at 1 p.m. in the three-game set finale.  The Panthers dropped to 3-19 overall and 0-4 in the OVC.

EIU starter Matt Wivinnis, who kept his club in the game through 6.2 innings and allowed just five of his nine hits to the Gamecocks in the first four frames, did not get help from the Panthers' defense.  Wivinnis allowed six runs, but just two were earned.  EIU finished the day with five fielding miscues and JSU took full advantage.  JSU finished with 15 hits as everyone in the lineup had at least one hit. 

JSU's first two runs in the first two at bats were both unearned after EIU mistakes behind Wivinnis.  Gamble produced his first of four runs driven in with a ground ball out that scored Clayton Daniel in the first inning.  A fielding error by the EIU shortstop off the bat of Joe McGuire kept the second inning as Peyton Williams scored, who earned a two-out walk, stole second and moved to third on an errant throw by the catcher. 

Staked to a 2-0 lead, sophomore left hander Jack Pierce worked around trouble in four of his five innings as EIU had the leadoff man reach base in four of the five frames.  Pierce recorded the win and moved to 3-0 on the season with all three wins coming against OVC competition.  The Pelham, Alabama product finished with five strikeouts and gave up three earned runs.

JSU extended the lead with a three-run fourth that was aided by EIU errors.  Sophomore Hayden White led off the inning with a single and scored two batters later on Taylor Hawthorne's single up the middle.  Williams followed with a single and moved to third on a failed pick off attempt that allowed Hawthorne to score.  Senior Gavin Golsan had a two-out RBI to finish the inning.

EIU made things interesting in the fourth as a pair of walks eventually scored on Jason Scholl's two-out double.  EIU cut the deficit to 5-3 in the sixth as Frankie Perrone scored on a fielder's choice.

Sophomore Grant Chandler finished the final 4.0 innings to earn his second save of the season as he entered the contest with a three-run lead before EIU's run in the sixth.  Chandler was greeted by a single by Cale Hennemann, but that would be the only hit that he would give up.  He allowed one walk in four innings of work.

For the second time this season, JSU posted back-to-back round trippers as White followed Gamble with his fourth of the year over the right field fence.

Saturday's game will be available on the Gamecock Sports Network with air time at 2:45.  The contest will also be video streamed on the OVC Digital Network.