NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Jacksonville State completed its second Ohio Valley Conference sweep of the season with a a pair of wins over Belmont on Saturday at Rose Park in Nashville.
The Gamecocks, who won the opening game on Friday evening, 4-3, cruised to an 18-4 win in Saturday's opener and finished off the sweep with a 5-4, 12-inning decision over the Bruins. The three-game sweep was JSU's first since compiling three wins over Murray State in Birmingham, Alabama in late March. JSU improved to 22-14 on the season and moved to 11-7 in OVC play. The Bruins fell to 14-25 overall, 9-12 in league contests. Jax State has now won four of the last six series against Belmont and tallied the first sweep of the Nashville-based program since the 2015 campaign.
In the opener, the Gamecocks scored 17 of the 18 runs in the first four innings and broke open the contest with a season-high eight runs in the fourth inning. JSU, who touched Belmont starting pitching early on Friday, did the exact same thing in twinbill opener with multiple runs in each of the first four frames. JSU handed junior Derrick Adams a 3-0 cushion to work with and that would be all the left hander would need in his six-inning outing. Senior Trent Simpson, who was one of six Gamecocks with multiple RBI, drove in the first run of the game, followed by freshman Isaac Alexander's two-out RBI single. Junior Nic Gaddis, who drove in four runs, pushed two runs across the plate with another two-out single.
Belmont cut the lead to 5-2 with two runs off of Adams in the second inning, but the JSU bats remained hot with a four-run third inning and the eight-run fourth. The four-run third was highlighted by senior Clayton Daniel's two-run home run over the left field wall. It was Daniel's second home run of the season and third in his career. Daniel would go on to finish the day 4-for-5 and reached base five times in game one. The Guntersville, Alabama native would finish Saturday with the six hits and reached base 10 times with four walks.
JSU sent 13 batters to the plate in the fourth, which was started by a home run by sophomore Andrew Naismith. Freshman Cole Frederick recorded a pair of RBI with a double, while Daniel singled in a run and junior Gaddis turned in a double.
Gaddis was solid at the plate in the double dip with four hits and six RBI, including the game-winning RBI in the 12th of the nightcap.
In complete control of the game by JSU, the Bruins posted their final two runs off Adams in the fifth. Adams moved to 3-2 on the season after tossing the first six innings. JSU was able to get some work in for Sean Rape and Cody Willingham over the final three innings.
As the sun began to fade with the downtown Nashville scene in the background, so did the big innings for the Gamecocks in the second game. Belmont took its first and only lead of the weekend in the opening at bat with a sacrifice fly RBI off o senior Colton Pate.
Bruins' starter Casey Queener handcuffed JSU's lineup for the first four innings before JSU broke through to equalize in the fifth. Queener recorded nine strikeouts, but issued five walks in his outing.
Senior Taylor Hawthorne, who had two of JSU's RBI in the final game, had the RBI in the fifth on a fielders choice.
Pate settled in after issuing the run in the first as he would go on to pitch 5.2 innings and touched for a second run in the sixth after JSU broke a 1-1 deadlock with a three-run top of the sixth. Pate posted six strikeouts and gave up four hits.
JSU put together timely hits in the sixth to take the lead with back-to-back two-out RBI singles by Hawthorne and Gaddis. Simpson gave JSU a lead with a sacrifice fly RBI.
The Bruins rallied in the ninth to send the game to extra innings with two runs off of Simpson, who was in line for the save.
JSU scored the game-winning run after a costly error opened the door for the scoring opportunity. Gaddis belted a single to left field, scoring Daniel.
Senior Grant Chandler, who made his 88 career appearance in the 1th got the win after another threat by Belmont in the 12th. With runners on the corners, Chandler induced a game-ending double play turned by Alexander, Daniel and Naismith.
Jax State returns to action on Tuesday with a trip to Montgomery, Alabama for the second meeting with Alabama State. First pitch from the Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex is set for 6 p.m. JSU will host Eastern Kentucky next weekend in OVC play at Choccolocco Park.
