OXFORD – Eastern Illinois spoiled the Ohio Valley Conference home debut for Jacksonville State by erasing a two-run deficit and scoring three late runs to break up a 4-4 deadlock in the eighth to take a 7-5 win in the first game of the OVC series at Choccolocco Park.
The Panthers, who have played all 16 games away from Charleston, Illinois, picked up their second win of the season and started league play with a win. The Gamecocks dropped to 8-9 overall and 0-4 in OVC action. The two teams will continue the series on Saturday at 1 p.m. and close out the set on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Oxford.
EIU's nine-hole hitter Nicholas McCormick drove in the tying run in the Panthers' half of the fourth with a single through the right side and delivered the go-ahead RBI in the eighth inning. EIU added two more two-out RBI in the eighth and nursed the lead in the final two JSU plate appearances. McCormick finished the night 3-for-4 and the two RBI. EIU's Joseph Duncan set the tone early for the visitors with a leadoff triple to start the game. Duncan and McCormick combined for six of EIU's 13 hits off JSU pitching on Friday. Duncan pushed the sixth run of the game across the plate with a single to right field, followed by Andrew Curran's run-scoring base hit.
EIU jumped on Jax State starter
Derrick Adams with two runs in the first, but that would be all it would get against the sophomore left hander. Adams settled in for the next 4.1 innings and scattered four hits after the two in the first frame. The Huntsville, Alabama native collected eight strikeouts in the outing and allowed four runs in the no decision.
JSU put its first run on the board quickly in the second inning as junior
Trent Simpson powered the first pitch he saw from EIU starter Jake Haberer over the centerfield wall for his third home run of the season and second at home inside Choccolocco Park. Simpson would give JSU a 3-2 lead in his next at bat in the third with a two RBI single to right field. Simpson started at the designated hitter spot in the lineup and finished with three RBI and moved to the mound in the seventh. Simpson would be saddled with the loss after being touched for the three runs in the eighth. The Oxford, Alabama product recorded four strikeouts in the two innings of work. JSU pitching fanned 13 Panthers in the setback.
The Gamecocks, who were held to three hits by the EIU relief pitchers, pushed the lead to 4-2 in the fourth with freshman
Andrew Naismith's triple down the right field line, scoring
Hayden White from first. Naismith, from Auburn, Alabama, added a single in the sixth for his second consecutive multiple hit contest after having a pair of hits at Auburn on Wednesday.
JSU responded with a run in the eighth to cut the deficit to 7-5, but EIU's Brent Stephens worked out of trouble in the eighth and closed out the game in the ninth.
The next two games of the series will be available on the Gamecock Sports Network and via live stat links at JSUGamecockSports.com.
