CARBONDALE, Ill. – A seven-run seventh inning lifted Jacksonville State to an 8-6 win over Southern Illinois in the series opener on Friday afternoon at Itchy Jones Stadium on the SIU campus.

The Gamecocks improved to 11-9 overall with the Friday win and will look to claim the series on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Salukis dropped to 11-11 overall on the season.  Weather issues could be a factor with Saturday's matinee.

After the two teams played to a scoreless deadlock until SIU fifth, SIU and JSU combined for 14 runs over the final four innings.  The Salukis took advantage of the Gamecocks' ineffectiveness on the mound as JSU starter Derrick Adams walked in the first run of the contest.  JSU's pitching staff turned in a season-high 10 walks on the day, which aided in SIU's ability to erase an 8-1 JSU lead after the Gamecocks exploded for seven runs in the seventh.

The JSU offense lifted the club with 10 hits on the day, seven of which were for extra bases.  Jax State had five doubles, a triple and a home run.  JSU equalized in the sixth after a one-out double by junior Nolan Greckel opened the door for the game-tying situation.  Junior Taylor Hawthorne delivered his first triple of the season, driving in Greckel.  Hawthorne, back in the lineup after an illness last weekend, reached back three times with a pair of walks. 

The run in the sixth sparked the Gamecocks as they would send 11 batters to plate, scoring seven runs on five hits in the frame.  Junior Hayden White started the inning with a double and moved to third on freshman Andrew Naismith's infield single off the turf.  SIU starter Chad Whitmer walked Payton Young to load the bases.  Senior Joe McGuire, who is scheduled to pitch on Sunday, delivered a ground rule double down the left field line, scoring the go-ahead runs.  Greckel had an RBI ground out with the infield drawn in.  Clayton Daniel, who had two hits on the day, laced a single to right field, scoring JSU's fifth run of the day.  After Hawthorne drew a walk, junior Trent Simpson posted a three-run home run to left.  

With a seven-run cushion, JSU limited SIU to two runs in the seventh after an inning-ending double play, the Gamecocks' third of the day.  Freshman Cody Dodd, who entered in relief of Adams, picked up his second win of the year after tossing one full inning.  Simpson and Grant Chandler saw action on the mound before Justin Hoyt was summoned to close out the game after SIU cut the lead to 8-6 in the ninth.  Hoyt secured his third save of the season with just nine pitches thrown in the ninth.

JSU will send the Co-Ohio Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week, Colton Pate to the mound in game two of the series, while SIU will counter with Michael Baird.  The game will be available on the Gamecock Sports Network.