OXFORD – The Jacksonville State baseball team dropped a 4-1 decision on Sunday to Jacksonville at Choccolocco Park.
With the win, the Dolphins completed the weekend sweep of the Gamecocks in a non-conference set for both squads. Jax State dropped to 12-9 overall, while JU improved to 16-9 on the season. Both clubs will face league competition next weekend as the Gamecocks will face Murray State in a series that has been moved to Young Memorial Field on the campus of UAB in Birmingham, Alabama. The Dolphins open Atlantic Sun action against cross-town rival North Florida.
The weekend sweep by the Dolphins is the first by a Gamecock non-conference opponent since the opening weekend of the 2008 season when Middle Tennessee State claimed all three games.
JU manufactured single runs in the third, fourth and fifth to take a 3-0 lead and for the third straight day, the Dolphins' starting pitching gave the Gamecocks fits. JU's Austin Temple, making his second start of the season, went the first five innings and collected six strikeouts and walked just two. Temple was touched for three hits and surrendered the lone JSU run in the fifth. Temple moved to 2-0 on the season.
JSU starter Colton Pate was effective in his five innings of work even though the Dolphins put together eight hits off of him. Pate allowed three of the four runs and tallied five strikeouts. He was saddled with the loss and fell to 3-2 on the season.
Senior catcher Hayden White provided the offense for JSU with his first home run of the year in the fifth. Senior Taylor Hawthorne turned in a hit and has now reached base safely in 42 of the last 43 games dating back to last season and 19 of the 20 games this season. Andrew Naismith and Matthews Hammers collected hits off of JU pitching. Naismith and Hawthorne each had four hits on the weekend with both turning in a home run. Naismith had a home run on Friday and on Saturday.
Senior Grant Chandler worked three innings of relief and was touched for a run in the eighth, while senior Trent Simpson pitched the ninth.
The series with the Racers will get underway on Thursday at 6 p.m. at Young Memorial Field at UAB. Friday's contest is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the series finale is set for 1 p.m. All three games will be available on the Gamecock Sports Network.
