FORT MEYERS, Fla. – Jacksonville State powered its way to a series-evening win with five home runs in the run-scoring friendly park of Swanson Stadium in a 14-3 win over No. 24 Florida Gulf Coast on Saturday afternoon.

The Gamecocks returned the favor to the Eagles after falling 18-8 in eight innings on Friday night with a run-rule win on Saturday. JSU moved to 18-19 overall and notched its 11th ASUN win (11-6), while the Eagles dropped to 27-11 on the season and 12-5 in the league.

Freshman Caleb Johnson and senior Carson Crowe combined for four of the home runs, including a grand slam by Crowe in the sixth inning to break open the contest. The duo combined for nine of the 14 RBI with Crowe collecting a career-high seven RBI on the day. The Tuscaloosa, Alabama native had a two-run home run in the second, followed by his first grand slam of his career in the sixth. Crowe added his seventh RBI on a double in the eighth. Johnson drilled solo home runs in his first two plate appearances. Senior Jarrett Eaton blasted his first home run as a Gamecock ahead of Johnson's dinger as the South Florida transfer belted a three-run blast over the right field wall. JSU scored nine of its runs from the long ball. Eaton posted a two-hit day and four RBI with a start in right field.

Sophomore Tanner Jones posted a gutsy effort on the mound against the FCGU offense. Jones, who went 5.0 innings for his fifth win of the season seemed to get better as the day went on. The Eagles answered JSU's three-run second with a solo home run and added solo home runs in the fourth and fifth respectively. Jones scattered seven hits and posted five strikeouts on the warm Florida Saturday. Junior Jake Peppers tossed three shutout innings to finish the contest. Peppers fanned five of the nine batters he faced.

Junior Javon Hernandez continued to climb the NCAA hits chart with three hits on Saturday after being held without a hit on Friday. Hernandez now has 65 hits on the season. Sophomore Brennen Norton added a pair of hits, including a two-out triple that led kept the door open for an RBI for Eaton.

The rubber game of the series will get started on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT at Swanson Stadium. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and carried on the Gamecock Sports Network.