CARBONDALE, Ill. – Jacksonville State's three-game winning streak came to a halt with Southern Illinois rallying for a 7-6 win in 10 innings on Friday night at Itchy Jones Stadium.
The Salukis pushed across a pair of runs in the ninth inning to equalize at 6-6 and won the series opener on Heston Gray's second home run of the night with a one-out solo walk-off home run. The Gamecocks will be looking to even the series on Saturday at 2 p.m.
SIU, trailing 6-4 and down to its last plate appearance, started the ninth inning with a pair of singles before moving the runners into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt. Senior
Sam Maynard induced a ground ball out for the second out. A wild pitch allowed the tying run to come across the dish and sending the game into extra innings for the third time this season for Jax State.
Jax State, who entered the game having posted 30 runs combined in the two midweek games, started strong for the third straight game with a pair of runs. SIU answered with three runs in its first at bat against lefty
Will Baker. After a tough first inning, Baker settled in and tossed a career-best 5.0 innings and in line for a win after the Jax State offense reclaimed the lead with two runs in the fourth inning and added a run in the fifth inning.
Junior
Drew Collins, who paced the Gamecock order with three hits in the setback, had one of his three RBI with a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning to tie the game at 3-3. Jax State executed the squeeze bunt play with
Michael Dallas laying a bunt down and scoring a run. Collins, from Oregon, Ohio, registered his second RBI of the night with a run-scoring single in the fifth. He gave Jax State the two-run cushion with a solo home run to start the ninth inning.
The Gamecocks struggled to break the game open throughout the game as they stranded 14 runners on the bases, including three times with the bases loaded.
Sophomore
Caleb Johnson extended his on-base streak with a base hit. He also reached two more times with a hit-by-pitch and a walk. The Gamecocks finished with nine hits.
Saturday's game will be carried on the Gamecock Sports Network.
