MURRAY, Ky. – The Jacksonville State baseball team split an Ohio Valley Conference doubleheader with Murray State on Saturday with a 16-11 win the opening game before falling in the nightcap, 11-0, at Johnny Reagan Field.
With the win in the rubber game of the weekend series, the Racers claimed the series after walking off with a 3-2 win on Friday to start the series. The Gamecocks fall to 8-10 on the season and will wrap up their eight-game road trip on Wednesday, March 24 with a short trip to Kennesaw State. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. CST.
The opener was a game of rallies for Jax State as it fought back from behind through the first seven innings before taking its first lead in the eighth and expanding that lead in ninth. JSU scored seven runs over the final two innings to claim the slugfest. Jax State turned in a season-high 17 hits in the contest as it erased deficits of four runs and three runs. Redshirt junior
Alex Carignan laced a single back up the middle to give the Gamecocks a 12-11 lead in the eighth after RBI by
Jaylyn Williams and
Nash Adams. Carignan returned to the line up with two hits.
Senior
Alex Webb capped off his Stellar game at the plate with his second three-run home run of the contest to expand the Gamecocks lead in the ninth. He squared the game at 7-7 in the fourth with a three-run blast to right field. The reigning OVC Player of the Week finished 4-for-6 in the game and six RBI. It's his second four-hit game in the last three games and matched his career high in RBI.
Adams, a redshirt sophomore, had a multi-hit game with three hits and delivered three RBI. Senior
Tre Kirklin added a two-run single in the second inning. Freshman
Mason Maners made the most of his first career start on Saturday with two hits, an RBI and a pair of runs scored.
Jax State used six pitchers in the four-plus hour game with junior
Colin Casey and senior
Kyle Luigs keeping the Gamecocks within striking distance as the two combined for eight strikeouts over 6.1 innings of work. Junior
Sean Rape closed out the seventh inning before senior
Corley Woods finished the final two frames. Rape secured the win, while Woods posted his third save of the game.
In the nightcap, the Racers plated eight runs combined in the third and fourth innings to break open the game. MSU added three runs in the fifth, while starter Jack Wenninger kept the Gamecocks off the scoreboard.
Williams was the lone Gamecock to solve Wenninger twice with two hits in the seven-inning contest. Junior
Alex Strachan and sophomore
Trevor Andrews each had a double in the setback.
Following the midweek action with the Owls of KSU, the Gamecocks will return home for their OVC home opener against Tennessee Tech on March 26-27.
