JACKSONVILLE – The offense broke out in a big way Saturday for Jax State with a season-high 12 runs in a 12-4 shellacking of Southern Indiana.
 
The Gamecocks (5-9) made it three-straight wins to begin the Cocky Classic at home after wins over Southern Miss and Samford on Friday. Jax State actually fell behind 1-0 to start the day as the Screaming Eagles out of the Ohio Valley Conference doubled home a run the top of the first off freshman starter MacKinley Portillo.
 
Portillo settled in to go four innings, only running into trouble again in the fourth once Jax State staked out a double-digit lead. Jordan Eslinger came in to close out the game in the fifth and final frame where she registered a pair of strikeouts.
 
In between Portillo's appearances in the circle, the Gamecock offense went to work at the plate. Following a quiet home half in the first, Morgan Nowakowski led off the second with a single and came around to tie the game on Amber Reed's ensuing double. Reed then put the Gamecocks ahead racing home on Makalyn Kyser's RBI double. From there, the bats stayed hot.
 
After Hannah Buffington drew a walk and Ella Pate singled to load the bases, Lindsey Richardson sent a ball to shallow center that plated a pair of runs. With Richardson and Pate still aboard, sophomore Ashley Phillips blasted her first of two homers on the day to left field to cap a seven-run bottom of the second.
 
Kyser would launch a 2-run home run in the third inning, before Phillips made her way back to the batter's box in the fourth where she lifted her second long ball of the game, and third in two days.
 
Phillips finished with five RBI, Kyser drove in three while Richardson and Reed each brought home two apiece.
 
USI did score three in the top of the fifth, but it wasn't enough to extend the game to a sixth frame. The two teams will meet again tomorrow afternoon at 12:30, before Jax State and Belmont meet in the weekend finale following that game.