OXFORD – The Jacksonville State baseball team dropped another tough one-run decision on Tuesday night with a 6-5 setback to Alabama State at Choccolocco Park.
The Gamecocks, who continue their five-game homestand on Wednesday against longtime nemesis Troy, dropped to 18-15 overall, while the Hornets picked up their 18
th win of the season and improved to 18-19 on the season. Tuesday's contest was the first of three against the Hornets as JSU will visit Montgomery on May 2 and May 9.
ASU's Joseph Estrada's eighth inning solo home broke up a 5-5 deadlock for the winning run after the Gamecocks had clawed their way back in to the contest after falling behind 4-0 after two innings.
The Hornets touched Jax State starter
Michael McCreless for two runs in each of the first two innings. McCreless struggled with command in the outing that lasted just one inning. ASU had a pair of hits and took advantage of three walks by McCreless. The Gamecock bullpen allowed eight of the ASU 10 hits, but gave up one free pass in the final eight innings and recorded seven strikeouts. Senior
Nate Sylvester fanned five of the seven Hornets in three innings of work.
Grant Chandler worked two frames before
Trent Simpson pitched the seventh and eighth. Simpson's night at the plate, a 4-for-5 performance was soured with Estrada's sole home run over the right field wall off of Simpson. Simpson took the loss and fell to 1-3 on the season.
JSU began to solve ASU starter, Terrell McCall in the third inning as junior
Nolan Greckel delivered the first of two RBI with a ground ball to the right side of the diamond to score
Dalton Etheridge. Etheridge joined Greckel and Simpson with multiple hits in the loss. Etheridge started the third inning with a triple and had a two-run single in JSU's four-run sixth. Greckel's second hit also highlighted the JSU sixth with the game-tying RBI with a two-out single to right center.
The Gamecocks had scoring opportunities with runners in scoring position in the final three plate appearances. ASU's Austin Bizzle tossed the final 2.1 innings and thwarted the JSU threats in the final three innings. ASU opened the door in the ninth with the only two errors of the game, but Bizzle induced a ground ball out by
Joe McGuire to notch his second win of the season.
JSU and Troy will renew the rivalry with a 6 p.m. first pitch at Choccolocco Park. All JSU students and fans 18 years old and younger are admitted free to all JSU baseball games. The in-state battle will be available on the Gamecock Sports Network and streamed online on the OVC Digital Network.
