CARBONDALE, Ill. – Southern Illinois broke open a one-run contest with 10 runs in the final four frames to even the series with Jacksonville State after a 13-3 win on Saturday at Itchy Jones Stadium on the SIU campus.
The loss drops the Gamecocks to 18-8 overall, while the Salukis moved to 16-10-1 on the season. The rubber game of the three-game non-conference series is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday.
JSU's two runs came early in the contest with lone runs in the second and third. An RBI double by sophomore
Taylor Hawthorne put the Gamecocks on the board in the second, but that lead was short-lived as SIU responded with a three-run home half of the second. The highlight hit for SIU was a wind-aided two-run home run to centerfield by Jared Smith. The wind played havoc throughout the contest as the Salukis had a solo home run in the fifth and a three-run wind-aided dinger in the sixth off the bat of Connor Kopach to give the home club a 7-2 advantage.
SIU broke open the game in the seventh with six runs on four hits off of JSU reliever
Joe McGuire. Kopach add two more RBI on the day with a single in the inning, while Jake Hand and Schmidt had RBI hits. Kopach, Hand and Braden Mosley paced SIU's 16-hit day with three hits apiece. Sophomore left hander
Jack Pierce suffered his first loss of the season and falls to 3-1 on the season after being touched for four runs on nine hits.
The Gamecocks did not have a bad day at the plate against SIU pitching as they put 12 hits on the board, including five doubles, but could not get key hits early in the contest as they ended the day with 12 base runners left on base. Hawthorne led JSU at the plate with a 3-for-4 day with two of the five JSU doubles.
After powering JSU to a 9-5 win in the opening game of the weekend on Friday, senior
Paschal Petrongolo added two more hits on the weekend and reached base four times after being plunked in his last two plate appearances. Sophomore
Clayton Daniel had a multi-hit game with a pair of hits.
Sunday's final game of the series will be available on the Gamecock Sports Network. Freshman
Garrett Farmer will get first start during a weekend series and the second of the week on Sunday. Farmer started last Tuesday's contest with Samford. SIU will counter with Michael Baird.
