JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State offense blistered the baseball with a season-high 15 hits in an 11-5 win over Bradley on Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium.

After a pair of tough setbacks in the first two games of the series with the Braves, the Gamecocks received another stellar start from freshman pitcher Eli Zielinski, while the offensive highlights were provided by senior T.J. Reeves and AJ Causey. The duo combined for eight hits, including a 4-for-4 day at the plate for Causey. The Harvest, Alabama native capped off a solid weekend after turning in a pair of pitching career marks with 10 strikeouts in seven innings of work on Friday in the series opener. The four hits on Sunday established a new career high for him at the plate. He tallied four singles, scored twice and reached base in all five plate appearances. He keyed a two-run six inning that bolstered Jax State's lead.

With his four hits on Sunday, Reeves has now posted multiple hits in 8-of-the-11 games this season.

Zielinski, who tossed six innings a week ago against Southern Illinois and fanned seven Salukis in his second start of his career, matched that number by the third inning and finished with nine strikeouts. Sam Maynard and Reid Fagerstrom finished the game out of the bullpen. The trio combined for 14 strikeouts. As a pitching staff, Jax State finished with 41 strikeouts on the weekend and limited the free bases with just six walks.

Bradley starter Dalton Mall was handed a 2-0 lead after the Braves scored the lone pair of runs off of Zielinski with a two-run home run by Peter Hansen. Mall held the Gamecocks without a hit through the first three innings. Reeves started a four-run fourth for Jax State with a leadoff double, followed by back-to-back singles from senior Carson Crowe and Causey, freshman Will Fincher poked an RBI double down the left field line to put Jax State on the scoreboard. Junior Javon Hernandez plated two more runs in the inning.

Jax State continued to expand the lead with three runs in the fifth inning with senior Brooks Bryan registering a two-out, two-run double to left field. Freshman Michael Dallas followed with an RBI single.

After Bradley cut the deficit to 9-5 with a three-run seventh inning, the Gamecocks answered with two runs in the eighth inning to secure the Sunday win. Reeves scored on a wild pitch for one of the runs, while Dallas added a second RBI on the day with a fielder's choice.

Junior Mason Maners reached base twice in the contest, including a single to extend his hitting streak to nine straight games. He took care of pushing his on-base streak in the first inning with a walk in the first inning. Maners has now reached base 23 consecutive games dating back to the last 12 games of the 2023 season. In the 11 games this season, he has reached base 28 total times.

The win also marked another milestone in the 22-year career of Jax State Head Coach Jim Case. The veteran skipper accumulated his 650th career win – all as the leader of the Gamecock baseball program.

The Sunday outing, which attracted the sixth largest crowd at Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium of 1,344, was the third of a 12-game homestand for the Gamecocks. Jax State will host a pair of midweek contests against in-state foes Alabama State and Auburn. The ASU match is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, followed by another evening affair on Wednesday with the Tigers. Tickets are limited to both midweek games and are available online at JSUGamecockSports.com. Following the two midweek games, the Gamecocks will host South Alabama in a three-game series. The weekend set begins on Friday, March 10.