JACKSONVILLE – Senior Alex Strachan delivered a pair of RBI and the Jacksonville State pitchers collected 13 strikeouts as the Gamecocks claimed a 4-2 series-opening win over Bellarmine on Thursday evening on Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium.

The Gamecocks snapped a three-game losing skid and kept pace in the ASUN West Division standings as they moved to 14-17 overall and 8-5 in conference play to move into a tie for second place in the division as the halfway point of ASUN play is completed after this weekend.

Strachan was instrumental twice in the low scoring affair as he broke up a 1-1 tie in the sixth with an RBI double to the gap in right center in the sixth inning and with the bases loaded in the eight, he lifted a fly ball to centerfield to push the winning run across the plate and unlocking a 2-all contest. JSU loaded the bases with a leadoff double by junior T.J. Reeves, followed by a walk of junior Carson Crowe and a fielder's choice by Alex Carignan to load up the bases ahead of Strachan. Senior Tanner Snow gave JSU an insurance run with another sacrifice fly in the inning.
Freshman AJ Causey, who closed out the eighth inning with a strikeout, retired the Knights in order to post his second win of the season.

Sophomore Reid Fagerstrom was inserted back into the weekend rotation with a Thursday start to the weekend and he was superb in his fourth start of the season. The Newnan, Georgia native went a career-best 6.1 innings and established a new career mark in strikeouts as he fanned nine Knights. He allowed a run on five hits and did not issue a walk. Senior Trey Fortner was the first Gamecock arm out of the bullpen to finish the seventh and pitch eighth ahead of Causey. The Knights fought off a 2-1 deficit with an unearned run in the top of the eighth. Reigning ASUN Player of the Week, Matt Higgins, continued to swing a hot stick with both of BU's runs on a single in the sixth and a double in the eighth.

Bellarmine's Nolan Pender was saddled with the loss in a nine-inning effort.

JSU sophomore Mason Maners and Reeves combined for five of the nine hits by the Gamecocks off of Pender. Maners posted a pair of infield singles, while Reeves added a pair of base hits to go with his double to jump start JSU's two-run eighth. Crowe finished with an RBI as JSU gave Fagerstrom a 1-0 lead to work with after the first plate appearance.

The two clubs will play game two of the three0game series on Friday at 6 p.m. and wrap up the Easter Weekend action on Saturday at 1 p.m. Both games will be streamed on ESPN+ and carried on the Gamecock Sports Network. Tickets for Friday and Saturday are available online at JSUGamecockSports.com. JSU students and fans 18 years old and younger are admitted free.