JACKSONVILLE – The leading offense in the ASUN in conference games powered its way to a six-run fourth inning to break open a tight contest as Jacksonville State's unblemished mark in the league remained intact with an 11-4 Friday night win over Kennesaw State on Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium.

The Gamecocks (14-12) have now double digit runs in six-of-the-seven ASUN games and has collected double figure hits in all seven games as the squad finished with 12 in the series opener.Jax State entered t he contest hitting .302 overall and a blistering .402 in the first six conference outings. Friday's production maintained those strong numbers. With the win, the Gamecocks have won 12 straight league games going back to the final two ASUN weekends of the 2022 season.

Not to be overlooked, the Gamecocks' pitching staff has set the tone for the offense by limiting the opposition. In the first six ASUN games, the staff earned run average was a 2.16 with quality starts from the pitching rotation. Friday's start by sophomore AJ Causey was a mirror image of his last start against Bellarmine last Saturday. Causey established a new career high in strikeouts in Louisville with 12 versus BU. Against the Owls, the Harvest, Alabama native matched that feat in five-plus innings. He scattered four hits and a pair of unearned runs in a gutsy performance on the mound. Causey, who moved to 3-0 on the season, has accumulated double digit strikeout totals in four of his eight appearances now and in two ASUN starts.

KSU starter Blake Wehunt looked to have settled in after a two-run home run by Mason Maners off of him in the first inning. Maners, who took care of extending his on-base streak quickly with his fifth home run of the season, has now reached base in 38 consecutive games going back to last season. Wehunt started the frame with a strikeout, but a single by sophomore Brennen Norton and a walk by Carson Crowe kick-started the Gamecocks big inning.

After Wehunt induced a fly ball for the second out, he could not get the next six Jax State hitters out. Freshman Will Fincher singled to load the bases for freshman Michael Dallas, who worked a walk for an RBI to set the table for the top of the order. Freshman Bear Madliak drilled a two-run single back up the middle. Junior Javon Hernandez cleared the bases with his second triple of the season. Maners and T.J. Reeves had RBI singles to chase Wehunt.

Every time the Owls put a run on the board, the Gamecocks answered. After one of Causey's unearned runs in the sixth, Jax State took advantage of a KSU miscue for a run with a misplayed ground ball off the bat of Reeves. KSU plated its lone two earned runs in the seventh inning off of junior Will Baker out of the bullpen, but JSU extended the lead with an RBI by Fincher, who prepped at Kennesaw Mountain High School. Derrick Jackson, Jr., who singled in the inning, scored on a wild pitch.

Hernandez, who has started ASUN play hitting .621 (18-29), finished with added two more hits to go along with his triple. He has now has multiple hits in six-of-the-seven ASUN games, including four three-hit games. Maners and Dallas joined him with multiple hits. Maners also extended his hit streak against ASUN competition to 16 straight games.

The two clubs will start a new month with game two of the series set for Saturday at 6 p.m. Tickets are available online at JSUGamecockSports.com. Admission for all Jax State students and fans 18 years old and younger is free. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and carried on the Gamecock Sports Network.