JACKSONVILLE – Jax State secured the opening Conference USA series of the season with a 10-7 victory against UTEP on Saturday to start 2-0 in league play.
 
The Gamecocks (17-7, 2-0 CUSA) pushed their overall streak to four straight wins and have come out on top in eight of the last nine contests. Despite a powerful attack, the Miners drop to 10-11 and 0-2 in conference.
 
UTEP struck early and often with the longball tallying three home runs against one of the best pitching staffs in CUSA. Still, the Gamecocks shut the door in critical moments defensively and continued to round the bases offensively to stay ahead.
 
A leadoff homer for Miners in the top of the first inning was erased in the bottom of the frame when Abbi Perkins came through with two outs on a drive to left that scored Amber Reed and Kailey Martin. Emma Elrod delivered a two-run hit of her own in the bottom of the second inning, and later scored on a Morgan Nowakowski single to make it 5-1.
 
When UTEP cut it back to a one-run game at 7-6 in the top of the sixth inning, Elrod and Martin again had answers with home runs of their own in the home half of the frame to push the lead to 10-6.
 
Elrod finished 3-for-4 from the leadoff spot with three RBI and two runs scored. Martin saw a 2-for-3 day with two RBI and scored both times. Every Gamecock sent to the batter's box reached base with a hit, walk or error.
 
Jaliyah Holmes started and went four frames for Jax State on the way to earning her fifth win of the season. Junior Jordan Eslinger relieved Holmes to start the fifth shortly before UTEP found a couple of hits and a walk to load the bases. However, Eslinger registered a clutch strikeout followed by an inning-ending groundout to squash the threat at a key point of the game.
 
UTEP out-hit Jax State, 11-9, but left eight runners stranded. In a one-run game in the second inning, Aria Davis made a leaping snag on a liner to short for the third out to strand UTEP's tying run at third base. Two more were left aboard in the seventh inning, when Kat Carter struck out the would-be tying run for the final out of the game in her relief appearance,
 
Entering the day with one of the lowest team ERA's in the nation, Jax State's rare seven runs allowed tied a season-high matching what Alabama was able to put on the board in Madison, Ala., last month.
 
Jax State and UTEP wrap up the weekend with the series finale Sunday afternoon at 12 p.m. from Jana McGinnis Field.