JACKSONVILLE — Jax State baseball earned its seventh-straight weekend sweep and fourth-straight conference sweep with a Saturday a victory over Middle Tennessee, 3-1,a t Jim Case Stadium.
The Gamecocks improve to 27-6 overall and 12-0 in Conference USA play, continuing the best start in CUSA play ever while holding at one game shy of tying the longest conference winning streak in program history.
Middle Tennessee falls to 16-16 overall and 5-7 in league play, sitting alone at eighth in the league standings at the time of writing.
Steven Cash earned his fourth victory of the season with six and a third innings of work, turning in a quality start. The senior southpaw had four hits with the only run of the game for the Blue Raiders, sitting down six batters on 93 pitches.
Skyler Hutto earned his seventh save of the season, leading CUSA. The next closest relief pitcher has five saves.
Middle Tennessee's David Horn Jr. took the loss after giving up two runs in the bottom of the sixth to give the lead to the Gamecocks.
MTSU, for the third-straight game, took to the board first with a one-out RBI-single in the top of the fourth inning. Designated hitter Dean O'Neill dropped the ball into right field to score Layne Akers, taking the early lead.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Gamecocks got on the board with an RBI-single by Brady Thomas through the right side of the infield, plating Caleb Johnson to tie the game. A sacrifice bunt by Grayson Ashe scored Cooper Blauser to give the Gamecocks its first lead of the game.
An insurance run came in the bottom of the eighth inning, when a sacrifice bunt by Matthew Cash brought the third run of the day home in Thomas.
The top of the ninth saw Hutto induce a groundout and a double play to seal the sweep for Jax State.
Brady Thomas led the squad offensively going two-for-three with an RBI and a run scored.
Jax State will head south to take on the Auburn Tigers in midweek action on Tuesday night before heading to Virginia for a No. 1 vs. No. 2 in CUSA battle with the Liberty Flames.
