JACKSONVILLE – Sophomore Cole Frederick delivered his second walk off home run in his Gamecock career as his lead off blast in the 12th inning handed Jacksonville State a 6-5 win over Eastern Illinois in the Ohio Valley Conference opener on Friday at Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium.

Frederick, who belted a home run last season to top Southeast Missouri in 2018, sent Josh Cooper's 1-1 pitch over the left field fence for the 340-foot game winner.  The win improved Jax State to 6-9 overall, while EIU fell to 3-8 on the season.  The two teams will meet in the second game of the series on Saturday.  Game time has been bumped up to 12 p.m. CST to avoid the weather. 

It marks the second walk-off win by the Gamecocks this season.  JSU walked it off in the ninth inning of a 12-10 win over North Alabama on the first weekend of the season.

Sunday's series finale remains at 1 p.m.  Tickets are available online at JSUGamecockSports.com and all JSU students and fans 18 years old and younger are admitted free.

The Gamecocks scored all six runs on extra base hits as half of their hits were extra bases and run-producing hits.  EIU finished with 13 hits in the setback.

The Panthers opened the scoring rather quickly with a leadoff home run by Jimmy Govern.  Govern had both of his hits in the first two at bats with an RBI single in the third inning.  EIU's Hunter Morris led all hitters with three hits in the contest.

Junior Chase Robinson gave JSU its first lead of the day with a two-out opposite field, two-run home run just down the left field line.  His seventh home run of his career pushed junior Andrew Naismith home after he reached with a single.  Naismith came up big with his first career triple as the Auburn, Alabama first baseman cleared the bases after a Nic Gaddis double and back-to-back walks by Taylor Craven and Isaac Alexander.

Jax State starter Garrett Farmer, pitching with a 5-2 cushion, allowed an EIU run in the fourth and sixth before his outing ended with one down in the sixth inning.  Farmer, who did not figure in to the decision for the third consecutive Friday, struck out five and did not issue a walk.  EIU equalized in the seventh with an unearned run off of a JSU errant throw.

Both teams combined to use 11 pitchers in the extra inning affair and both bullpens got out a jams from the eighth inning till the end.  JSU had the go-ahead run at third base in the seventh and the winning run on base ninth, tenth and eleventh.

EIU looked like it would break the 5-5 deadlock in its half of the 12th inning as it had the bases loaded with one out.  Junior Corley Woods was inserted on the mound and needed two pitches to induce an inning-ending double play.  EIU's Christian Pena grounded Woods' pitch to third base for Brook Brannon to get the lead runner and Gaddis retired Pena with a throw down to first base.

Woods picked up the win in his brief stint and earned his first win of the season, while Cooper was touched for the loss.

Saturday's Noon contest will be available on ESPN+, one of the online streaming platforms of ESPN.  Live stats will also be available at JSUGamecockSports.com.