DELAND, Fla. – In a game that had no bearing on the 2023 ASUN Baseball Championship, Jacksonville State dropped its final game of pool play on Friday evening with a 16-4 setback to Austin Peay on Melching Field at Conrad Park.
The Gamecocks, who claimed the lone spot from Pool B into the semifinal round on Thursday with a 9-3 win over Eastern Kentucky. The Govs were eliminated from advancing in the tournament after dropping the first two outings in their first ASUN postseason action. Jax State will have a quick turnaround as they will take on Florida Gulf Coast in the first of two semifinal match ups on Saturday morning. First pitch is set for 11 a.m. ET/10 a.m. CT. The Eagles claimed the top spot out of Pool A with a win over Liberty on Friday. Lipscomb, who survived pool play with a win over Jacksonville on Friday afternoon will take on the Flames in Saturday's second semifinal. The championship contest is scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. ET/12 p.m. CT in DeLand.
Jax State emptied the bench throughout the contest and giving opportunities for guys to get postseason experience, but it was junior
Derrick Jackson, Jr. that carried the offensive load for the Gamecocks. The first baseman continued to add to his tournament hit total with two more hits, including his second home run in the Sunshine State this week. He drove in four runs in the loss with an RBI single in the first and added a two-run blast in the sixth. Senior
T.J. Reeves added to his git and RBI total with an RBI single in the first plate appearance. For the third consecutive game, Jax State put runs on the scoreboard in its first inning at the plate. Junior
Mason Maners joined Jackson with a multi-hit game with a pair of hits on Friday. Freshman
Caleb Johnson and sophomore
Brennen Norton each had a base hit.
Senior
Colin Casey made his fourth start of the season and was one of five Gamecock arms used in the shortened game. The Jacksonville native tossed the first three frames before turning it over to the bullpen. Sophomore
Reid Fagerstrom, freshman
Josh Sibley, freshman
Garrett Telaga and senior
Garrett Wade all saw action on the mound.
Saturday's semifinal will be streamed on ESPN+ and carried on the Gamecock Sports Network.
