Box Score JACKSONVILLE – Freshman
Bear Madliak sparked Jacksonville State's offense with two of the four home runs belted put of Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium in Friday's 9-6 series-opening win over in-state rival North Alabama.
Madliak jump-started Jax State with a home run to start the contest for the home squad and blasted his second solo shot to ignite the Gamecocks' three0run sixth that erased a 3-2 UNA lead. Junior
Mason Maners connected in his team-best ninth home run two Gamecocks later to give JSU a lead it would not relinquish the rest of the way as the lead was expanded with back-to-back two-run innings in the seventh and eighth. Madliak finished the night with a team-high three hits after adding a single in the seventh.
Junior Derrick Jackson and senior
Carson Crowe joined Madliak with multiple hits in the win. Jackson had a double in the fourth and collected his sixth home run of the season with a solo home run to open the seventh inning. Crowe followed with his first triple of the season and scored on one of sophomore
Brennen Norton's sacrifice fly outs.
On the mound, sophomore
AJ Causey worked five innings in a no decision. Causey finished with four strikeouts and issued one walk. Junior
Will Baker was the first Gamecock out of the bullpen and tossed 2.1 innings and picked up the win in relief. Sophomore
Austin Cornelius finished the contest with one strikeout.
As a team, the Gamecocks pounded out 13 hits with all nine in the order posting a hit. Junior
Javon Hernandez, who ranked second in the ASUN in hits with 67 entering the night added to his total with a single in the sixth. Senior
T.J. Reeves extended his on-base streak to 40 games with a fifth inning single.
The Gamecocks will look to claim their fourth series of the season on Saturday. The game time on Saturday has been pushed up to 2 p.m. to avoid any weather issues on Saturday night. Tickets are available online at JSUGamecockSports.com. All Jax State students and fans 18 years old and younger are admitted free. The contest will be streamed on ESPN+ and carried on the Gamecock Sports Network.
