MONTGOMERY – The Jacksonville State baseball team dropped its third consecutive game for the first time this season after Alabama State topped JSU, 4-1, on Tuesday night at the Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex.

The win secured the series the season series for the Hornets after they claimed the March 2 contest in Jacksonville.  JSU claimed a 7-1 decision over ASU on March 30.  The Gamecocks (26-14) will now turn their attention to a three-game Ohio Valley Conference weekend series at Belmont in Nashville, Tennessee.  ASU improved to 27-14 on the season.

After struggling on the weekend against Southeast Missouri, those struggles lingered into Tuesday's contest as the offense was quieted by ASU's Brandon Caples.  JSU, who did not put a run on the board in the final 8 2/3 innings on Sunday versus SEMO, could not put runs on the board for the first six innings off of Caples.  JSU snapped the scoreless streak with its only run of the contest in the seventh.  Senior Tyler Gamble drilled a double to the right center gap and scored on senior Elliot McCummings' single to left.  That was the only scoring frame for JSU, who finished with a season-low five hits.  Sophomore Clayton Daniel was the only Gamecock with multiple hits.  Sophomore Taylor Hawthorne had JSU's first hit of the game in the opening frame.

Sophomore Jack Pierce made his first midweek start of the year and was sharp until he was touched for a run in the third as ASU scored an RBI sacrifice fly by Yamil Pagan, scoring Hunter Allen, who led off with a single to centerfield.  Allen was one of two Hornets with multiple hits as he pushed the lead to 2-0 with a solo home run just inside the left field foul pole in the fifth inning.  ASU added another run in the fifth on a Pagan's single.

That would be all Caples would need as he picked up the win after limiting JSU to four hits and striking out five.  JSU had 15 fly ball outs and now has 28 fly ball outs in the last two outings.
ASU's final run was scored in the seventh on a wild pitch from Justin Hoyt.  The run was credited to Derrick Adams, who went 1.1 innings.  McCreless followed Jack Pierce, while Grant Chandler finished the game on the mound.

All three games this weekend at Belmont will be available on the Gamecock Sports Network and on the OVC Digital Network.  Friday's series opener is set for 5 p.m.