JACKSONVILLE – For the second time on opening weekend, Jacksonville State walked off Memphis with a 13-9 come-from-behind win in 10 innings on Sunday at Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium.
The Gamecocks, who claimed their seventh season-opening series over the last 11 seasons, erased a 9-2 deficit with 11 runs over the final three innings. Sophomore
Caleb Johnson was clutch on two occasions with a double that tied the contest in the ninth with two outs and blasted his second career grand slam in the 10th inning to send the Tigers back to the Volunteer State with a series loss. On Opening Day, it was junior
Brennen Norton walking off UofM with a solo blast for the win in 13 frames.
Johnson finished the day with a career-high four hits and established a new career mark for RBI with five on the day.
Trailing 9-2 going into the eighth inning, head coach Steve Bieser gave others an opportunity to get experience early in the season. After the Tigers recorded the first out of the inning, redshirt freshman
Kensky Thomas laced a pinch hit double to right centerfield, followed by a walk by pinch hitter
Sam Silas.
Hudson Walburn was the fourth pinch hitter of the inning and took advantage of the situation by blasting a three-run home run in his first at bat as a Gamecock to trim the deficit to 9-5. Norton kept the inning alive with a single followed by another free pass in the inning to
Gabe Young. Senior
Derrick Jackson, Jr., who was Jax State's offense before the late-inning spark with a two-run home run in the third inning, drilled a double to right centerfield to drive in two more runs.
Jax State's bullpen kept it a two-run contest heading into its final plate appearance and senior
Will Baker pitched the Gamecocks out of a ham as the Tigers had a pair of runners in scoring position in the 10th before getting out of the inning still knotted at 9-all.
Krayton Morse, who pinch hit in the seventh had a one-out single in the 10th to get the wheels turning for a walk off opportunity. Thomas was issued Jax State's first of two walks in the frame by the Tigers before Silas collected his first hit as a Gamecock as Walburn worked the 12th free pass of the day by the Tigers' pitchers to load the bases for Johnson.
Young, Jackson, Jr. and Walburn all had multiple hits in the win as the Gamecocks pounded out 17 hits on the day. Young, finished his first weekend of his Gamecock career with six hits, including a pair of doubles and a triple. The Mountain Brook, Alabama native also scored five times.
The Gamecocks will have their first midweek action of the season on Tuesday with a trip to Birmingham to face Samford. First pitch between the two in-state rivals is set for 4 p.m. The game will be available on the Gamecock Sports Network and it will be streamed on ESPN+. Following Tuesday's midweek action, Jax State will travel to Mobile, Alabama for a three-game weekend series with South Alabama.
