FORT MEYERS, Fla. – The Jacksonville State baseball team dropped the final game of the weekend series to No. 24 Florida Gulf Coast, 12-5, on Sunday afternoon at Swanson Stadium.

The Eagles (29-11, 13-5 ASUN) claimed the series with Sunday's win after the two clubs split the Friday and Saturday outings. FGCU claimed the series opener on Friday and the Gamecocks bounced back on Saturday to even the series. Jax State drops to 18-20 overall and 11-7 in the ASUN. The Gamecocks return to Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium for the next four games against in-state rivals. The four-game week begins on Tuesday with a rematch with the Blazers of UAB. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. JSU returns to ASUN action next weekend against North Alabama.

The series with the Lions is set to begin on Friday at 6 p.m. Tickets for all four home games are available online at JSUGamecockSports.com. All Jax State students and fans 18 years old and younger are admitted free. The homestand will be streamed on ESPN+ and carried on the Gamecock Sports Network.

It was a battle of the bullpens on Sunday with both clubs limited on pitching entering the final game of the series. The Gamecocks and Eagles erased early leads as Jax State rallied from a 3-0 deficit after one inning with a pair of runs in the second and third inning to take a 4-3 lead. Freshman Caleb Johnson, who had a pair of hits on the day and five on the weekend, had a two-run single in the second, while junior Mason Maners drove in a run in the third and scored on a balk call in the third inning.

FGCU quickly took a lead that it would not surrender the rest of the day after Connor O'Hara held the Gamecocks off the scoreboard the rest of the way. O'Hara finished the final 7.0 innings. After the FGCU offense tied the contest with a sacrifice fly in the third, a four-run fourth inning separated the two clubs

JSU's Reid Fagerstrom was saddled with the loss in relief. Senior Colin Casey made his second start of the season and of the week and tossed the first two innings. The Gamecocks used junior Will Baker and sophomore Austin Cornelius to finish the game on the mound.

Freshman Bear Madliak joined Johnson with a multiple hits in the setback with a three-hit contest, while junior Javon Hernandez added his second hit of the day wit an RBI double in the ninth. Brennen Norton added a hit on Sunday.