OXFORD – The Jacksonville State dropped its second in-state midweek contest with a 9-7 setback to Samford on Wednesday night at Choccolocco Park.
The Gamecocks were looking to bounce back from a tough lost to Alabama on Tuesday in Tuscaloosa as the Crimson Tide plated the winning runs in the ninth for the win. The loss dropped JSU to 24-22 overall, while the Bulldogs moved to 28-22 on the season and claimed both contests with Jax State in the 2018 season. Samford downed JSU in February in Birmingham.
JSU tried to resemble what happened to it on Tuesday with UA in the ninth as it had the tying runs on the corners in the final at bat before the Bulldogs were able to close out a game that saw 13 combined pitchers on the mound. SU's Wyatt Burns picked up his ninth save of the season after escaping ninth. Billy Cregor, the third of seven arms used by the Bulldogs earned his first win of the season as he entered the game in the sixth after the SU order erased a 5-4 deficit in the sixth.
Jax State took a 5-4 lead to the sixth, but four of the nine walks by the pitching staff came in the frame that saw Samford have two hits, but push four runs across the dish to take an 8-5 lead and an advantage that it would not relinquish. The nine free passes issued by JSU matches the season high for the club. Samford also took advantage of five wild pitches. Redshirt sophomore Tyler Wilburn (3-3) was saddled with the loss.
Samford jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning, but like Tuesday, JSU was able to answer with a two-run first inning. The inning started with a leadoff double by Clayton Daniel, which leveled him with former Southeast Missouri standout Jeremy Johnson, who collected 65 career doubles. Daniel broke JSU's program record for doubles in a season last weekend at Morehead State. He now has accumulated 311 career hits, which is 12 shy of matching Bert Smith's career hits mark of 323. Senior Trent Simpson had one of his two RBI with sacrifice fly. Simpson's RBI double in the eighth cut Samford's lead to 9-6.
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The Gamecocks put together a two-out rally off of Samford starter Hamp Skinner in the fourth. Skinner allowed two bases runners via a walk ahead of sophomore Chase Robinson. Robinson continued to swing a hot stick with a three-run home run to right field to give JSU its only lead of the night. The Pell City, Alabama native has posted a home run in each of the last three games. After Robinson's big hit in the third, the Gamecocks were limited until the two-run eighth. JSU got within a run at 8-7 on a two-out RBI single by senior Hayden White.
Junior Nic Gaddis and sophomore Andrew Naismith had two hits each in the loss.
JSU will host the Skyhawks of UT Martin (10-36, 6-18 OVC) in the final OVC home weekend series of the campaign. The series will get started on Friday at 6:30 p.m., followed by a 3 p.m. match up on Saturday. The series wraps up on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Jax State will honor its seven seniors prior to Saturday's game and Sunday is Fan Appreciation Day at Choccolocco Park with free admission.
