RICHMOND, Ky. – The Jacksonville State baseball team fell in a high-scoring Sunday contest to Eastern Kentucky, 11-10, at Earle Combs Stadium.
With the win, the Colonels claimed all three games of the ASUN West Division weekend series and swept the Gamecocks in both weekend series in 2021. EKU maintained its lead in the ASUN West at 17-7 and improved to 32-15 on the season. JSU dropped to 21-25 overall and 14-10 in conference play with two ASUN weekends left in the regular season.
No lead was safe on Sunday between the two clubs until EKU erased an 8-7 JSU lead in the sixth inning with three runs in the inning and the Colonels' pitching staff held off the Gamecocks over the final three innings.
The Gamecocks took all three of their leads on home runs as senior
Luke Coker put the first two runs of the game with his first home run in a JSU uniform in the third inning, followed by a solo home run by senior
Isaac Alexander that game the visitors the lead right back after EKU answered with a pair of runs. JSU erased an EKU lead in the fifth with a grand slam by sophomore
Mason Maners. It was JSU's second bases-clearing home run of the season. The only JSU run that didn't cross the plate on a home run was an RBI double by junior
T.J. Reeves in the fourth inning.
Maners cut it to a one-run game with his second home run of the day with a two-run home run in the seventh inning. He joins junior
Carson Crowe with six RBI in a single contest as he drove in six RBI against Central Arkansas in April.
Senior
Cole Frederick and freshman
Brennen Norton combined for six of JSU's 14 hits with three hits apiece, while senior
Alex Carignan added another two-hit day at the plate. Norton finished the weekend against Colonel pitching with seven hits, including a pair of RBI. Carignan completed the weekend with six hits.
The Gamecocks return home for a Tuesday night contest with the Crimson Tide of Alabama. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. Tickets are available online at JSUGamecockSports.com. After UA visits Rudy Abbott Field at
Jim Case Stadium, JSU will host the Bears of Central Arkansas in its final ASUN West Division home series. The series begins on Friday, May 13. All four games will be streamed on ESPN+ and carried on the Gamecock Sports Network.
