JACKSONVILLE – Jacksonville State dropped the final game of the series with Louisiana Tech, 11-8, on Sunday at The Jim.
The Gamecocks secured their sixth Conference USA series of the season and the fourth in a row after back-to-back pitching gems on Friday and Saturday before the Bulldogs finished the weekend with a bite to salvage a game in the series. Jax State wrapped up its 2025 home slate on the turf of Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium with a 21-10 overall mark.
LA Tech broke up a 2-2 contest with a six-run fourth inning and added three insurance runs late after the Jax State mounted a rally with three runs in the seventh and a two-run eighth inning.
The two clubs traded runs over the first three innings. The Gamecocks pushed the first run across the plate in the first inning with an RBI double from junior
Brady Thomas. LA Tech answered with the first of three home runs on the day for the Bulldogs in the second inning. The Gamecocks answered by manufacturing a run on a sacrifice fly from senior
Carson Hornung.
Brady belted his fifth home run of the season in the fourth inning and nearly added a grand slam in Jax State's three-run seventh inning but added an RBI with a sacrifice fly.
Playing at The Jim for the final time, seniors
Drew Collins and
Carson Hornung capped off their careers on the home turf in stellar fashion. The duo combined for nine hits and three of Jax State's home runs on the weekend. Collins finished with five hits on the weekend, including a two-run home run in the eighth inning to make it an 11-8 contest. He extended his on-base streak to 19 games. Hornung registered a pair of home run in each of the first two games of the series.
Redshirt sophomore
Cooper Blauser posted his 15th multi-hit game of the season with a pair of hits in the setback.
The Gamecocks will wrap up the regular season on the road Tuesday against Auburn before closing out the CUSA slate against Western Kentucky in a series that gets started on Thursday in Bowling Green, Ky.
Tuesday's contest with the Tigers concludes the home-and-home season series after AU claimed a 4-3 decision in Jacksonville on April 15. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. The game will be streamed on SECN+ and carried on the Gamecock Sports Network.
