LYNCHBURG, Va. – Jacksonville State won its first-ever Conference USA Baseball Championship game with a come-from-behind, 9-7 victory over Louisiana Tech late on Wednesday night on Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium.

The Gamecocks erased a 7-4 Bulldog lead after the top of the fifth by answering a four-run frame by LA Tech with two runs in the fifth and took a lead it would not relinquish with a three-run sixth inning.

Redshirt sophomore Cooper Blauser, who finished with four hits in the opening round contest, delivered an RBI single to draw the Gamecocks even at 7-7. Junior Grayson Ashe continued to come through in clutch situations with a two-out, two-run base hit up the middle to give Jax State the 9-7 lead. Ashe, who was named to All-CUSA Second Team on Tuesday, reached base three times on the night and swiped a pair of bases.

Blauser became the fifth Gamecock this season to have a four-hit game with a double in the first inning and three singles to highlight Jax State's 13-hit outing.

Redshirt junior Jackson Sleeper was called upon to limit the damage in LA Tech's big fifth inning. After the Gamecocks erased the deficit with the three runs in the sixth, the Bulldogs were quieted by Sleeper over the final 3.2 innings. The Franklin, Tennessee righty was touched for one hit and fanned four Bulldogs. He picked up his third win of the season as he established a new career-long outing on Wednesday.

In his last three outings, Sleeper has put the competition to bed with 8.2 innings of work, allowing three hits, no runs and collecting 13 strikeouts. He had two outings in the final series of the weekend at Western Kentucky worth of CUSA Pitcher of the Week honors by posting a pair of saves against WKU's prolific offense.

It was a back-and-forth contest until LA Tech's fourth inning. Jax State scored on a wild pitch in the first inning and a sacrifice fly from junior Colton Hegwood. Senior Drew Collins pushed the pair of runs across the dish with a two-run triple. Sophomore Sam Silas added a pinch hit RBI double, while junior Caleb Johnson laced a triple and scored on Hegwood's productive out.

Jax State finished with six extra base on the night – four doubles and a pair of triples.

The Gamecocks will face top-seeded and CUSA regular season champion, Dallas Baptist in a winners bracket contest on Thursday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and carried on the Gamecock Sports Network.