MOREHEAD, Ky. – Jacksonville State collected a season-high five home runs at run-scoring friendly Allen Field, but it wasn't enough offense in a 13-8 series-opening loss to Morehead State on Friday.
The loss dropped the Gamecocks to 23-19 on the season and 12-10 in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Eagles improved to 29-18 overall and 15-7 in league play. The two clubs continue the series on Saturday on the MSU campus. Saturday's contest has been moved to an 11 a.m. EST/10 a.m. CST start time due to the threat of rain in the area.
Junior Nic Gaddis paced the Jax State batting order with a 3-for-4-day at the plate and drove in three runs on a pair of home runs. His first of two followed senior Taylor Hawthorne's two-run blast in the first inning and after a single in his next plate appearance, the Trenton, Georgia native tallied his second home run of the day with a two-run round tripper in the JSU fifth. Gaddis becomes the third Gamecock this season to have recorded two home runs in a contest, joining Andrew Naismith and Hayden White. JSU posted back-to-back home runs for the third time this season in OVC play. The Red and White delivered long balls in consecutive at bats against Eastern Illinois and Murray State.
Hawthorne, who was playing for the first time in four games, started the home run outburst with a two-run home run in the first. He also had a single for a multiple hit day at the plate. Sophomore Chase Robinson cashed in his first home run of the season in the second inning, while White capped off the home runs with a solo home run in the ninth.
He two squads combined for 26 hits, but MSU's Jake Ziegelmeyer scatted four JSU hits in the final 5.2 innings to lead the Eagles to the win and move to 5-0 on the season in relief. Each team answered when one team scored in the first five innings. JSU jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning, but MSU responded with a two-run frame. The Gamecocks pushed the lead to 4-2 on Robinson's home run in the second, but MSU posted two runs in its at bat. The Eagles took their first lead of the game with two runs third off of JSU starter Garrett Farmer. JSU manufactured the tying run after freshman Isaac Alexander started the fourth inning with a double. The Muscle Shoals infielder eventually scored on a wild pitch.
MSU bounced back to plate three runs in the fourth inning to take an 8-5 lead, highlighted by a two-out RBI single by Reid Leonard. The Eagles were tough to close out in a frame as they had three RBI with two outs in an inning and took advantage of five walks by a trio of JSU pitchers. MSU starter TJ Satterly,who JSU chased after 3.1 innings walked the leadoff man Clayton Daniel for the lone walk surrendered by the Eagles.
JSU trimmed the three-run deficit to 8-7 on Gaddis' home run in the fifth, but could not equalize. After JSU's Austin Brewster held MSU scoreless for two innings, the Eagles expanded the lead with two runs in the seventh with two outs and posted three more in the eighth.
Daniel, who reached the 300 career hits plateau last Tuesday and became the fourth player all-time in OVC history to have 300 or more career hits, moved in to a tie for third place on the league's all-time career hits list with two doubles. He matched former Southeast Missouri standout (2008-12) Kenton Parmley with 302 career hits. The Guntersville, Alabama infielder also inched closer to etching his name atop JSU's career doubles list. He now has 60 doubles in his career and stands two back of the record of 62 career doubles, held by Sam Eberle (2009-12).
Saturday's game will be available on the OVC Digital Network and the Gamecock Sports Network.
