JACKSONVILLE – Eastern Kentucky erased a two-run deficit with a four-run rally in the ninth to claim Sunday's rubber game, 7-5, at Rudy Abbott Field.
With the win, the Colonels exit Jacksonville with a series win and improved to 23-26 overall and 12-12 in OVC play. The loss dropped JSU to 29-19 on the season and 17-7 in the conference. The series loss was the second straight at home for the Gamecocks. The club has two weekends left in conference play with a trip to Morehead, Kentucky on the horizon next weekend before wrapping up the regular season at home against UT Martin.
EKU's rally started with back-to-back singles by Shea Sullivan and Mandy Alvarez followed by a walk by JSU closer
Justin Hoyt to load the bases. EKU scored the first of four in the inning on a Hoyt wild pitch. The Colonels took the lead on Matt Olive's single just inside the first base bag, plating two runs. EKU added the seventh run on Ben Fisher's sacrifice fly centerfield.
JSU, known to battle from behind in late-game situations, almost squared the contest off of EKU's Nick Cumpston. After two ground ball outs, junior
Peyton Williams had an infield single to give senior
Paschal Petrongolo a chance at the plate. The senior lifted a deep fly ball at the base of the wall for the final out.
The runs allowed by Hoyt, who dropped to 1-2 on the season, were the first earned runs allowed by the redshirt sophomore in 20 appearances this season. EKU's rally spoiled a terrific Sunday start for freshman
Derrick Adams. Adams went a career-longest 5.1 innings and struck out five on the day. Adams was touched for a run in the first and in the sixth.
After EKU posted a run in the first inning for the third consecutive game, the Gamecocks knotted the contest in the second with an RBI single by
A.J. Reynolds. The run ignited the JSU offense as it would score runs in three of the next four frames.
The Gamecocks took the lead with a pair of runs in the third as senior
Elliot McCummings had an RBI double and Petrongolo would follow with an RBI ground out to give JSU a 3-1 lead. JSU pushed the lead to 4-1 in the fourth on a
Gavin Golsan sacrifice fly. McCummings along with
Taylor Hawthorne had multiple hits in the contest.
After EKU put its second run of the game in the sixth, the Gamecocks answered with another RBI by Golsan. Golsan finished the weekend with eight RBI and six hits.
JSU will be idle until next Friday as it travels to Morehead, Kentucky for the final OVC road trip of the season. Friday's series-opener is set for 4 p.m. CST. All three games will be available on the Gamecock Sports Network.
