MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Jacksonville State picked up its third straight Conference USA series win after sweeping Middle Tennessee in a Sunday doubleheader at MTSU's Reese Smith Jr. Field.
In a pair of games scheduled for seven innings, Jax State broke open a 6-3 contest in the opener with a five-run seventh for an 11-3 win to even the series. After the Blue Raiders evened the contest at 4-4 with a solo home run in the seventh, the Gamecocks responded with a four-run eighth with the benefit of three Blue Raider errors to post an 8-4 win to claim the series. Jax State now has series wins over Liberty, Kennesaw State, New Mexico State, Sam Houston State and MTSU.
The Gamecocks have two weekends left in the CUSA season with Louisiana Tech at home next weekend and finishing the regular season at Western Kentucky.
In the opener, junior lefty
Steven Cash tossed a complete game gem against MTSU. The Centreville, Alabama native was nearly flawless in the contest with four hits and three runs. The only blemish on his stat line was that all three runs allowed were home runs. Jax State's offense handed him a 3-0 lead to work with in the first inning. Cash was touched for a two-run home run in the first inning, but after that big hit, he kept MTSU off the board until the sixth inning. He collected six strikeouts and issued one walk in his 87 total pitches.
It's the second complete game for the Gamecocks as junior
Jackson Phipps turned in a seven-inning complete game earlier in the season.
With a 4-2 Jax State lead, it was his younger brother,
Matthew Cash giving him a lift with a pinch hit-two-run RBI single in the fifth inning to pad the Jax State advantage. He would add a third RBI the five-run seventh. Junior
Ace Williamson highlighted the three-run first inning with a double. Redshirt sophomore
Cooper Blauser, junior
Brady Thomas and senior
Carson Hornung all had multiple hits in the winning result.
In the rubber game of the weekend and the nightcap of the day, the Gamecocks used power with Williamson posting his second home run of the weekend with a two-out solo home run in the first inning. Junior
Grayson Ashe added his second home run in the series to give the Gamecocks a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning.
After MTSU took its only lead of the day with a pair of runs in the fourth inning, freshman
Maddox McDougall limited the damage to keep it a one-run contest. Jax State manufactured the tying run with an RBI from junior
Colton Hegwood in the fifth inning.
Hegwood delivered an RBI double in the seventh inning to break the deadlock and hand Jax State a 4-3 advantage going into MTSU's final plate appearance. The Blue Raiders rallied with a lead off home run to send it to extra innings for the second time in the series.
The Gamecocks pressured MTSU in the eighth inning that led to three errors by the Blue Raiders that aided in a four-run inning for Jax State. Blauser had two more hits in the second game, including a double.
Ashe turned in a three-hit game in the nightcap.
McDougall picked up his third win and first against CUSA competition.
Jax State returns home for its last midweek contest at The Jim on Tuesday against Alabama State. The Gamecocks will be looking to sweep its third in-state rival after extinguishing the Hornets in Montgomery on April 1. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. Tickets are available at JaxStateSports.com.
The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and carried on the Gamecock Sports Network.
