MOBILE – The Jacksonville State baseball team dropped an 8-7 decision to No. 22 South Alabama on Wednesday afternoon at Stanky Field on the USA campus.

The Gamecocks (28-17) wrapped up the non-conference slate at 12-12 on the season after Tuesday's 4-2 loss to the Jaguars and Wednesday's one-run loss.  Jax State, who has nine Ohio Valley Conference games left in the regular season, including six of the last nine at home, returns to Rudy Abbott Field on Friday, May 6 to open a three-game series with the Colonels of Eastern Kentucky.  USA improved to 35-12 overall.

The two teams combined to score 14 of the 15 combined runs in the first three innings and USA capitalized on four early JSU errors to score eight runs in the first two frames. 
JSU started the contest with a three-run first inning with the big hit coming from junior third baseman Josh Bobo, who produced a 4-for-5 day at the plate and drove in two of the three runs in the opening frame.  It was Bobo's second four-hit display of the season and 14^th multiple hit game of the season. 

USA answered off of Jax State starter Colton Pate with three runs in the first and a the fourth run off of him in the Jaguars' five-run second.  The Gamecock defense aided USA's first two innings with a pair of errors in the first and another error in the second opened the door for more runs in the second.  Pate and Jack Pierce were saddled with the eight runs.
JSU mounted a comeback with three runs in the third and the final run of the game in the fourth inning.  Junior Peyton Williams, who collected two hits in the eighth spot in the lineup, drove in a run with a one-out double.  Senior Gavin Golsan plated the next two runs with a single to cut the deficit to 8-6 through the first three innings.

Sophomore Grant Chandler was the first of four JSU pitchers to throw in the contest and hold the Jaguars to the eight runs over the final 5.2 innings.  The Madison, Alabama-native went 2.2 innings before Joe McGuire pitched an inning.  Garrett Farmer and Justin Hoyt finished the final three frames.  The quartet limited USA to three hits over the final 5.2 innings and posted four strikeouts.  JSU had a 10-9 advantage in the hits column.

JSU registered its seventh run in the fourth on senior Pascal Petrongolo's sacrifice fly.

The Gamecocks had chances to equalize and take the lead in three of the last four innings.  Sophomore Hayden White had a leadoff double in the fifth but was stranded at third.  JSU loaded up the bases in the seventh but USA induced an inning-ending fly ball by Clayton Daniel.  JSU threatened again in the ninth, but USA's Shane McKinley was able to notch his seventh save of the season.

The EKU series will get underway on Friday, May 6 at 6 p.m.  The series will continue on Saturday and Sunday with those games starting at 1 p.m. each day.  Admission is free to all JSU students and fans 18 years old and younger.  All three game will also be available on the Gamecock Sports Network.