NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Jacksonville State wrapped up its final regular season in the ASUN with a 9-6 loss to Lipscomb on Saturday afternoon on Ken Dugan Field.
The Gamecocks, who had already secured one of the eight spots for the 2023 ASUN Baseball Championship last weekend, will turn its attention to the postseason tournament that gets started on Tuesday at Stetson's Melching Field at Conrad Park in DeLand, Fla. The pool play format will be determined by RPI and will be announced by the league office on Saturday night or Sunday morning.
Jax State sophomore
Brennen Norton capped off a solid weekend at the with his third two-hit game of the weekend against Bisons pitching. The big hit for Norton on Saturday sparked Jax State in a four-run fourth inning and erased a 3-0 LU lead. The Cullman, Alabama product belted his second home run of the weekend to cut into the lead. The Gamecocks would tie the game with a productive out and RBI by freshman
Bear Madliak. Junior
Javon Hernandez added a sacrifice fly to drive in the go-ahead run.
The Gamecocks' bullpen struggles continued as the Bisons would post a four-run fifth inning and add solo runs in the sixth and seventh to widen the deficit. Jax State sliced an 8-4 deficit in half with a pair of runs in the seventh, highlighted by a solo home run by Hernandez. Hernandez would add a single in his last at bat to finish the regular season with 85 total hits. He will enter postseason play with a league-best .407 batting average.
Junior
Derrick Jackson, Jr. recorded a pair of hits ahead of Norton in the batting order, including a double to start the fourth inning. Junior
Mason Maners added his sixth hit of the weekend with a base hit on Saturday after multiple hits in the Thursday and Friday games of the series. Senior
T.J. Reeves reached base three times on walks and to have reached base in all 30 ASUN games. He was issued five walks on the weekend.
Junior
Sam Maynard was saddled with the loss out of the bullpen. Junior
Jake Peppers tossed the first four innings with six strikeouts in the outing.