JACKSONVILLE – Junior Brennen Norton delivered first-year head coach Steve Bieser his first win at Jacksonville State with a walk-off solo blast in the 13th inning for a 6-5 win over Memphis on Opening Day at Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium.

The Gamecocks rallied for the win after falling behind 5-1 in the sixth inning and battled back to equalize in the eighth inning. After sophomore Bear Madliak's game-tying RBI single, both clubs struggled offensively. Jax State's bullpen was stellar with weight consecutive strikeouts in the extra frames. Norton belted a one-out home run to give the Gamecocks their second consecutive win on Opening Day after knocking off Georgia in Athens to start the 2023 season.

It was Jax State's first extra inning contest on Opening Day since the start of the 2009 campaign in which it fell to Appalachian State in 13 innings. Friday's lengthy lid-lifter was the longest game for the Gamecocks since a 15-inning affair against Kennesaw State in what would be the final game of the 2020 season dur to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jax State quickly registered the first run of the year after a leadoff triple by Caleb Johnson and a productive out by Norton for the first of two RBI for the Cullman native. The Tigers answered with a pair of two-out runs in the second and a three-run home run in the sixth to expand their lead. The Gamecocks answered UofM's multi-run frame with three of its own in the home portion of the sixth.

Johnson started the frame with a walk, followed by a Norton single. One of the new faces on the club that has impressed the coaching staff was Gabe Young leading up to the start of the season. Bieser inserted him into left field and collected a triple in his first collegiate plate appearance and added a run-scoring double in the three-run sixth. Senior Derrick Jackson, Jr., a preseason All-Conference USA selection, added an RBI, followed by Young scoring on a Tiger wild pitch. Young finished his first action in a Gamecock uniform with three hits – a home run shy of the cycle.

For Opening Day, both pitching staffs excelled on the mound. Jax State turned to veteran Austin Cornelius for the start in game one of the season, followed by six Gamecocks out of the bullpen. The seven combined Jax State pitchers turned in 19 strikeouts. Cornelius tossed the first three innings and allowed the first two Tiger runs. The Hoover righty posted three strikeouts. Senior Will Baker was extended the longest of the seven pitcher with 4.0 innings of work and a pair of strikeouts. Sam Maynard, Josh Sibley, Austin Gast, Kyle Chastine and Ethan Adkison combined for 14 of the 19 strikeouts. Senior Kyle Chastine, who pitched an inning last season, fanned five Tigers in 2.2 innings on the mound late. Adkison, a transfer from Chipley, Florida and via Calhoun Community College, picked up the win in the contest.

The season-opening series continues on Saturday with a 2 p.m. start time Tickets are available online at JaxStateSports.com. The match up with the Tigers will also be streamed on ESPN+ and carried on the Gamecock Sports Network.