JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State baseball team dropped its season opener on Friday to Kentucky in an offensive showdown on a chilly afternoon on Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium.

The Wildcats broke an 8-8 deadlock with a pair of two-out runs in the ninth inning and fended off the Gamecocks in their last plate appearance. The two clubs will continue the season-opening weekend series on Saturday at 3 p.m. and wrap up the series on Sunday at 1 p.m. Admission is free to all JSU students and fans 18 years old and younger. Tickets are available online at JSUGamecockSports.com.

Both clubs combined for 25 hits, while the two pitching staffs were equally impressive on the first day of the season. UK finished with 13 hits, while JSU accumulated 12 hits. Both teams used four pitchers in the contest with JSU arms fanning 12 Wildcats. UK finished with 16 strikeouts on Friday.

If Friday was an indication of the offensive production from a few new faces in the program, the season could be active offensively. Freshman Brennen Norton, who had a decorative prep career at Cullman High School, being named the ASWA 6A Player of the Year in 2021, started his collegiate career with a three-hit performance against Southeastern Conference pitching. Norton had a single in each of  his first two plate appearances and an RBI double in JSU's two-run sixth inning that propelled the home club to even the score at 8-8.

Freshman AJ Causey showed potential in the line up and on the mound. Causey, a dual player from Harvest, Alabama, started at first base and pitched the final 1.2 innings. He turned in a key two-out, two-run double in the first inning to give JSU a quick lead on UK. On the mound, he suffered the loss, but recorded three strikeouts in the effort.

Junior Carson Crowe, who finished the 2021 season a point under the .300 mark at the plate, started the 2022 season with multiple hits, including a three-run home run to centerfield to hand Jax State a 6-4 lead in the fourth. He added a single in his second plate appearance. Junior T.J. Treeves, a transfer from Alabama, also made his Gamecock debut on Friday. The Birmingham, Alabama outfielder opened the sixth inning with a home run. He singled and scored in JSU's three-run fourth.

Jax State handed the Opening Day starting nod to sophomore Reid Fagerstrom and saw the righthander battle in first four innings. He was touched for four earned runs and tallied seven of JSU's 12 strikeouts. Sophomore Jake Peppers was the first Gamecock called out of the bullpen, followed by senior Dylan Hathcock.

Saturday's contest will be streamed on ESPN+ and carried on the Gamecock Sports Network.