BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Jacksonville State claimed its seventh Conference USA series and the fifth consecutive series to close out the regular season with a 9-6 win over Western Kentucky on Saturday afternoon at Nick Denes Field.
The Gamecocks collected the series after a 5-1 win over WKU on Friday and Saturday's decision after the Hilltoppers posted a 9-4 win on Saturday. Saturday's loss by WKU was just the third of the season for the Toppers. It's also the first series loss for WKU this season on its home turf.
With the win on Saturday, the Gamecocks clinched a top-four spot in the CUSA standings and will face fifth-seeded Louisiana Tech on Wednesday in the opening round of the 2025 CUSA Baseball Championship. First pitch from the campus of Liberty University is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT.
A five-run fifth inning propelled the Gamecocks into the lead after trailing 3-2 after four innings. The two clubs traded home run balls through two innings. Senior
Drew Collins sent the second pitch of the game over the left field wall. It's the first time Jax state has led off a game with a home run since the 2021 season by Cole Frederick at Morehead State.
WKU used the long ball for five-of-it-six runs on the day. The Hilltoppers tied the contest in the second inning and took a 3-2 lead with a two-run home run in the third inning.
Jax State sent nine batters to the plate in the big fifth inning, highlighted by a bases-clearing double from junior
Ace Williamson. Redshirt sophomore
Cooper Blauser started the scoring with a two-run single.
The Gamecocks nursed the 7-3 until a pair of runs by WKU in the sixth and a run in the eighth inning. Jax State added key insurance runs in the ninth with a two-tun blast by junior catcher
Grayson Ashe.
Jax State pieced it together on the mound throughout the day, including a solid outing by junior
Trevor Caldwell, who went 3.1 innings. Juniors
Jaxson Davis,
Karson Bonaparte and
Owen Arndt set things up for the Gamecocks to use closer
Jackson Sleeper. Sleeper silenced the WKU offense on Friday with seven strikeouts in the 10 batters he faced. Sleeper was equally impressive in the final 1.2 innings to register his second save of the weekend.
Tuesday's opening round match up with the Bulldogs will be available on ESPN+ and carried on the Gamecock Sports Network.
