JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State offense produced runs early and the pitching staff held Kennesaw State to just one earned run in a 10-2 Gamecock win on Tuesday night at Rudy Abbott Field.

Jax State claimed its fourth consecutive midweek contest and improved to 25-11 overall.  JSU avenged the weekend series setback to the Owls (18-20) and finished the four-game season series with KSU with a 2-2 mark.  The Gamecocks will now turn their attention a pivotal Ohio Valley Conference weekend series with the Redhawks of Southeast Missouri.  SEMO holds a slight 1.5 game lead on JSU at 16-2 in OVC, while JSU enters the home series at Rudy Abbott Field at 13-2.  The series will get underway on Friday, April 22 at 6 p.m.  The series will continue on Saturday and Sunday with first pitch set for 1 p.m. each day.  Admission is free to all JSU students and all fans 18 years old and younger.

JSU staked sophomore Colton Pate to a 4-0 lead after the first inning, which fueled into one of his best outings of the year.  Pate matched his season-best stint on the mound, going five innings in the affair and limiting the Owls to a pair of runs.  The Lincoln, Alabama righthander was touched for four hits and allowed just one earned run.  Pate recorded three strikeouts in the start and rebounded nicely from his appearance against the Owls in Kennesaw, Georgia back on February 28.  KSU registered six hits and five runs off him in the Sunday rubber game.

Junior Josh Bobo highlighted the four-run first for the Gamecocks with a double to left field, picking up a pair of RBI.  Sophomore Daniel Clayton drove in the first run prior to senior Elliot McCummings RBI single to left field.

After KSU put a run on the board in the top of the fourth, JSU extended the lead to 6-1 with two runs in the frame off of KSU's ineffective pitching.  Senior Tyler Gamble tallied a bases-loaded walk for an RBI, followed by Hayden White being hit by a pitch.

The Gamecocks put the game out of reach in the fifth with a three spot in the fifth inning.  Freshman Nic Gaddis had the big hit in the inning with a double down in the left field corner.  Sophomore Taylor Hawthorne's fly ball to deep right field was misplayed by the KSU right fielder, allowing two more run to score.

McCummings finished his night with a leadoff home run to left field for the JSU's final run of the contest.  It was McCummings' third home run of the season and Jax State's 41^st of the year.  The Gamecocks are nearing last year's home run total of 44. 

Juniors Nate Sylvester and Joe McGuire shut down the Owls over the final four innings as the duo would combine to allow three hits and striking out five.  JSU's pitching staff collected eight strikeout on the night.

ALl three games of the series with SEMO will be available on the Gamecock SPorts Network, while the Friday and Saturday games will be streamed on the OVC Digital Network.