LOUISVILLE, Ky – Senior
Alex Strachan and sophomore
Mason Maners collected three hits each to lead Jacksonville State to a 7-2 series-clinching win over Bellarmine on Friday afternoon at Knights Field.
The Gamecocks improved to 18-11 in the ASUN West Division and remained in contention for one of the three spots from the ASUN West Division to the 2022 ASUN Baseball Championship. Jax State stands one game back of the three-way tie between Eastern Kentucky, Central Arkansas and Lipscomb, who all entered Friday's action at 18-10 in the league.
For the second straight day, the Gamecocks started strong with four runs combined in the first two innings and continued to expand the lead throughout the game. Maners, who finished 3-for-3 at the plate with all three hits doubles. He started the game with an opposite field double and score on senior
Cole Frederick's RBI single. Frederick would add a two-out, two-run single in the second inning. With his two hits, he now has 19 multi-hit games this season and seven multiple RBI outings with his three RBI. He extended his hitting streak to 15 games.
After the Knights cut the JSU lead in half with two runs in the third inning off of Gamecock starter
Isaiah Magwood, JSU got one of the runs back with a Maners sacrifice fly in the fourth inning. Junior
Carson Crowe scores JSU's sixth run in the sixth before junior
T.J. Reeves dialed up a two-out RBI single.
After a solo home run by BU's Matt Higgins, who finished with three of the his club's nine hits, and another RBI single in the third inning, Magwood was sharp the second time through the Knights' order with 10 strikeouts over the last four innings of his 6.1 innings of work. He scattered eight hits and issued just one walk in the outing. Magwood picked up his seventh win of the season and sixth in the ASUN.
Senior
Dylan Hathcock finished the final 2.2 innings, allowing one hit and striking out one in the appearance.
The three hits by Strachan was the first three-hit game of the season for the senior from Madison, Alabama. The final third of the JSU lineup all had hits in the contest.
Saturday's contest can be viewed on the Knights Sports Network and carried over the airways of the Gamecock Sports Network.
