RICHMOND, Ky. – Junior Andrew Naismith delivered a pair of two-out, two-RBI singles to lift Jacksonville State past Eastern Kentucky, 6-5, on a damp Friday afternoon at Earle Combs Stadium.

The win secured Jax State's fourth consecutive Ohio Valley Conference series and the eighth-straight series win over the Colonels in series played on the EKU campus.  JSU took the opening game of the three-game set on Thursday, 18-3.  Saturday's series finale is slated to start at 1 p.m. EST/12 p.m. CST.  JSU remained atop the Ohio Valley Conference standings at 12-5 and improved to 21-16 overall.  EKU dropped to 22-17 on the season and 9-8 in the league.

Naismith's first of three hits gave JSU a 4-3 lead in the third after the Colonels ha recorded a run in the first inning and a pair in the second plate appearance.  His single through the left side capped off a three-run frame for the Gamecocks.  JSU rallied with two outs in the third with a pair of two-out walks by senior Nic Gaddis and junior Chase Robinson.  Sophomore Isaac Alexander kept the inning alive with an RBI double down the left field line ahead of Naismith's key single, scoring Robinson and Alexander.

After EKU responded with two runs in the home half of the third and take a 5-4 lead, Naismith connected again on a two-out, two-run single to the right side of the diamond.  The Auburn, Alabama first baseman finished the contest 3-for-5 with the four RBI.  He now has four three-hit contests on the season and it was his seventh multi-RBI game on the season.

JSU's pitching shutdown the Colonel offense after the two-run third inning and kept the tying run on the bases, including twice at third base, on multiple occasions.  Freshman Isaiah Magwood was inserted back in to the weekend rotation and went 2.2 innings on Friday.  Magwood was touched for six of the nine EKU hits and five total runs, four earned runs.  The Hazel Green, Alabama right hander finished with five strikeouts.  Redshirt Freshman Trey Fortner was solid out of the bullpen over the next 3.1 innings and posted his second win of the season.  Fortner, scattered three Colonel hits and added a pair of strikeouts.  Sophomores Jackson Tavel and Christian Edwards combined to close out the game with the final 2.1 innings.  Edwards collected his seventh save of the season and added five strikeouts.

Sophomore Cole Frederick had a multi-hit game with two singles, while junior Devin Brown picked up a hit.  JSU was gifted 12 walks by the EKU pitching staff, which aided in the Gamecocks' scoring opportunities.

Saturday's contest will be available on the Gamecock Sports Network.