JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State baseball team dropped the first home midweek contest to Kennesaw State, 8-2, on Tuesday evening at Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium.
The Owls improved to 4-5 on the season with the midweek win, while the Gamecocks fell to 3-5 overall and will look towards a home series with Kent State this weekend in Jacksonville.
The Gamecocks could not solve the Owls' relief pitching on Tuesday with just three hits in the setback and posting a pair of unearned runs in the first inning. The Owls, who scored a run in sixth of the nine plate appearances and extended a one-run lead with a three-run fifth inning. KSU collected 17 hits in the road decision.
Jax State's two runs came on a throwing error by the Owls' catcher on a stolen base attempt and a wild pitch from the starter, Agyei Wuinichett, who tossed the first inning. Sophomore
Caleb Johnson reached started the first frame with a walk and scored, while junior
Brennen Norton scored the second run on the wild pitch.
KSU's Bo Rhudy limited the Gamecocks to just two hits and registered eight strikeouts over the next 5.0 innings. Ryan Renfroe and Tanner Franklin finished the final three frames with one Jax State hit. Rhudy picked up the win, while Jax State's
Russell Derbyshire was saddled with the loss.
Sophomore
Bear Madliak tallied Jax State's first hit of the game with a one-out single in the fourth. Senior
Derrick Jackson, Jr. added a single in the sixth and finished the game reaching base two more times with a pair of walks. Junior
Logan Walters opened the seventh with a single, but KSU retired the next three Gamecocks.
The Golden Flashes of Kent State, who are on an eight-game road trip with stops at Louisiana Tech last weekend and a midweek two-game set at Troy, will visit Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium for the first time this weekend. The series will get started on Friday evening with a 6 p.m. first pitch. The two clubs will battle on Saturday evening at 6 p.m. and conclude the series on Sunday at 1 p.m. Due to Jax State men's hoops at home this weekend, only the Friday and Sunday games will be streamed on ESPN+ and carried on the Gamecock Sports Network. Tickets for the series are available online at JaxStateSports.com. All Jax State students and fans 18 years old and younger are admitted free.
