OXFORD – The Jacksonville State baseball team dropped the opening game of the Ohio Valley Conference weekend with a 7-4 setback to Austin Peay on Friday at Choccolocco Park.
JSU (9-4) and APSU (9-5) will continue the opening weekend of the conference slate on Saturday with game two of the series at 11 a.m. at Choccolocco Park. The series finale is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday.
The Governors erased a 4-1 deficit with a three-run fifth and broke up a 4-4 deadlock with a three runs combined in the seventh and eighth innings. The loss was the fifth consecutive to APSU after dropping all four meetings last season.
Jax State used the long ball for all four runs in the affair as senior Trent Simpson belted a three-run blast to left field to give the home club an early lead in the third inning. Simpson's round-tripper came with two outs after senior Clayton Daniel and senior Taylor Hawthorne kept the inning alive with a base hit and a walk. The home run was the Oxford, Alabama native's fifth of the year and 17th of his career.
After APSU answered with a run in the fourth, JSU got the run back in the next inning as junior Nic Gaddis remained hot with a leadoff home run to left center. In the last six games, Gaddis is 12-for-22 with 12 RBI.
That would be all that Govs starter Michael Costanzo would allow the Gamecocks as he kept them off the board through six innings and Brett Newberg finished the final three innings and was touched for one hit. Freshman Cole Frederick greeted Newberg with a base hit. Frederick, who made a pair of stellar plays at third base, joined Daniel as the two Gamecocks with multiple hits. Costanzo and Newberg combined for 10 strikeouts on the day, with Constanzo posting nine in the outing.
JSU used four pitchers on the day and saw redshirt sophomore Garrett Farmer go the first five innings. APSU took the lead in the seventh with an RBI double by Parker Phillips off of JSU reliever Tyler Wilburn with two outs in the inning. APSU's Imani Willis gave the Govs some breathing room with a two-out home run down the left field line. Austin Brewster and Dylan Hathcock finished the game for the Gamecocks on the mound.
Saturday's game can be heard on the Gamecock Sports Network. All JSU students and fans 18 years old and younger get in free at Choccolocco Park.
