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Jacksonville State University Athletics

Composite Calendar
Greckel
6
Eastern Illinois EIU 2-16, 1-2 OVC
7
Winner Jacksonville State JSU 10-9, 2-4 OVC
Eastern Illinois EIU
2-16, 1-2 OVC
6
Final
7
Jacksonville State JSU
10-9, 2-4 OVC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 R H E
Eastern Illinois EIU 0 1 0 0 0 4 0 0 1 0 0 6 6 2
Jacksonville State JSU 4 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 7 13 5

W: Hoyt, Justin (2-0) L: WILSON, Dustin (0-4)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Gamecocks Claim Series With Sunday Walk Off

OXFORD – Jacksonville State claimed its first Ohio Valley Conference weekend series with a thrilling 7-6 win in 11 innings over Eastern Illinois on Sunday at Choccolocco Park.

Junior Trent Simpson drove in the game-winning run through a five-man infield with a hit through the left side of the diamond for the walk off win.  The extra inning Sunday affair was JSU's second in a row after falling in extra innings last Sunday at Austin Peay.  After falling 7-5 on Friday night to the Panthers, the Gamecocks bounded back to win 6-3 on Saturday to go along with Sunday's victory to improve to 10-9 overall and 2-4 in OVC play.  EIU drops to 2-16 overall and 1-2 in the league.

JSU's Nolan Greckel started the final inning with a leadoff walk, followed by a clutch base hit by junior Clayton Daniel that moved Greckel to third base.  EIU brought in its centerfielder for an extra infielder and Michael Starcevich struck out Hayden White before facing Simpson.  Simpson, from Oxford, Alabama, was in the same situation in the ninth, but EIU escaped to send the game to extra innings.  Simpson came through in the second situation to end the game with his first hit of the day.

Both clubs used the long ball on Sunday with JSU scoring five of its seven runs off balls that left Choccolocco Park.  JSU opened with a four-run first inning that was highlighted by senior Josh Bobo's three-run home run to left field.  The home run was Bobo's first of the season and 13th of his career.  Freshman Andrew Naismith delivered a two-run blast in the third to extend Jax State's lead to 6-1.

EIU's Matt Albert connected on his first of two round trippers in the contest with a solo home run in the second and another home run in the sixth to cut the deficit to 6-5.  Albert's home run followed Dougie Parks' three-run home run. 

Both pitching staffs were solid throughout the weekend as EIU's staff did not allow another JSU run until the game winner in the 11th.  The EIU staff posted seven consecutive scoreless frames until the 11th.  JSU's arms were stellar on the weekend as they combined for 47 strikeouts.  After fanning 13 Panthers on Friday and 16 on Saturday, JSU's five pitchers combined for 18 strikeouts, led by junior closer Justin Hoyt's career-high nine strikeouts.  Gamecock starter Joe McGuire set the tone with 5.0 innings of work and tallying five strikeouts.  Michael McCreless, Peyton Stracener and Cody Dodd all turned in a strikeout. 

Hoyt was touched for one hit, a leadoff double in the EIU ninth that started the game-tying frame.  The unearned run was sored with a two-out fielding miscue by JSU. 

Greckel, who scored the game-winning run, joined Naismith with three hits in the contest, while Daniel and Bobo had a pair of hits in the game.

The Gamecocks will be idle this week before returning to the road for a non-conference weekend series against the Salukis of Southern Illinois.  JSU will be making a return trip to Carbondale, Illinois after dropping a series last season to the Missouri Valley Conference program.  The series begins on Friday, March 24 at 1 p.m.
 
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