JACKSONVILLE – Jacksonville State picked up a series win over Bellarmine with a 5-1 win on Saturday on Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium.

The Gamecocks improved to 9-6 in the ASUN West Division ay the halfway point of the 30-game conference slate and 15-18 overall. JSU bounced back from Friday's 4-3 setback to the Knights after claiming a 4-2 decision on Thursday night. The Knights dropped to 7-28 overall and 5-10 in ASUN West Division contests.

It was another solid pitching performance from sophomore Jake Peppers and a two-run fourth and fifth innings for the JSU offense propelled the Gamecocks to the series-clinching win. Peppers was able to shake off a first pitch leadoff home run by BU's Matt Higgins to go 6.0 innings with four strikeouts. The two hits he allowed in the outing were by Higgins. After two more Knights reached base in the first inning, the Crossville, Alabama native settled shut down the Bellarmine offense. In his last four appearances, Peppers has allowed eight hits, three runs and posted 21 strikeouts in 18 innings of work. That stretch includes a win over now-nationally-ranked Auburn, in relief against Eastern Kentucky and back-to-back Sunday starts versus Central Arkansas and Bellarmine.

JSU answered BU's first inning home run with an RBI single from junior T.J. Reeves, scoring sophomore Mason Maners, who started the inning with a double. Reeves reached base twice in the contest with a walk and scored a run. Maners finished with a pair of hits, including a bunt single RBI in the fourth inning.

Freshman Brennen Norton joined Maners with multiple hits in the win as the Cullman, Alabama product broke up 1-1 contest with a n RBI single in the fourth and expanded JSU's lead in the fifth with an RBI single. Since making a return to the lineup full time last Sunday vs. UCA, Norton has delivered seven RBI, including a pair of home runs in the last five games. Senior Isaac Alexander picked up an RBI in the fifth with a bases-loaded walk.

Senior Alex Strachan recorded a hit in all three games in the series with a single, while senior catcher Alex Carignan also added a hit in the affair.

The Gamecocks will wrap up the home-and-home set with the Bulldogs of Samford on Tuesday with a 6 p.m. contest at Joe Lee Griffin Field in Birmingham. JSU begins the second trip around the ASUN West Division with a weekend series with Lipscomb. The series with the Bisons will get started on Friday, April 22 at 6 p.m. Tickets are available online at JSUGamecockSports.com. JSU students and fans 18 years old and younger are admitted free. All four upcoming games will be streamed on ESPN+ and carried on the Gamecock Sports Network.