JACKSONVILLE – Western Kentucky erased a 3-2 deficit with another key inning against Jacksonville State in Friday's 5-4 win over the Gamecocks on Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium.
The win by the Hilltoppers secured the series after posting a 4-2 win over Jax State on Thursday night in the series opener. The Gamecocks will be looking to salvage the final game of the weekend on Saturday. First pitch for the series finale is set for 1 p.m. Tickets are available online at JaxStateSports.com. Jax State students and fans 18 years old and younger are admitted free.
WKU held on in the ninth inning for the win after Jax State put together a final at-bat rally and were shuttered the Gamecocks chances for a third walk-off win of the season. After a
Derrick Jackson, Jr. one-out walk and a double from junior
Logan Walters to put the tying runs on the bases, sophomore
Will Fincher delivered his third hit of the night with a two-out RBI single. WKU's Mason Burns tallied his sixth save of the season and second of the series with a strikeout to end the contest with the tying and winning run in scoring position. The Gamecocks left 14 runners on the base paths and the WKU pitching staff collected 14 strikeouts on the night.
The Gamecocks fell behind early with the Hilltoppers striking for two runs in the first inning off of sophomore
Jackson Sleeper. After the two runs issued in his first inning, Sleeper tossed three more innings and finished with four strikeouts in the outing. Jax State, who ranks among the Conference USA leader in home runs, tied the game on sophomore
Caleb Johnson's eighth home run of the season with a two-run blast to left field in the third inning. Jax State took its first lead in the fourth inning with a run scored on a wild pitch.
Johnson has reached base in all 26 games this season and has been aboard in 31 consecutive game dating back to the last five games of 2023.
Jax State nursed the one-run lead until WKU manufactured three runs off od one hit in the inning to regain the lead and let its bullpen finish the game. The Hilltoppers took advantage of the Gamecocks' inability to find the strike zone with six walks on the night. Jax State limited WKU to five hits on the night.
After the top of the Jax State batting order produced on Thursday night, it was the bottom half on Friday night. Along with Fincher's three-hit night, freshman
Sam Silas turned in a pair of hits and freshman
Gabe Young had a pinch hit single.
Sophomore
Bear Madliak also extended an on-base streak to 17 consecutive games with a single in the fifth inning.
Saturday's 1 p.m. finale will be streamed on ESPN+ and carried on the Gamecock Sports Network.
