DALLAS, Texas — Jax State baseball fell 10-6 to Dallas Baptist on Friday night at Horner Ballpark.
The loss drops Jax State to 41-13 and 22-7 in CUSA play, dropping only its second CUSA series. DBU improves to 31-23 and 19-10 in CUSA play.
Beau Bryans registered his first loss of 2026 in the game, giving up seven earned runs in two and a third innings of work.
DBU reliever Russ Smith was registered with the win with five innings of scoreless ball, with the lead flipping to DBU's favor while he was active.
Jaxon Pate put the Gamecocks ahead before fans could find their seats with his second home run of his career on the first pitch of the game, the Gamecocks leading 1-0 after the top of the first.
DBU answered in the home half of the first with a sac fly and a solo homer to take a brief lead at 2-1.
The Gamecocks scored four runs in the next two innings, with a Trey Majette sac fly in the top of the second, followed by a Trey King RBI-single, a Brady Thomas RBI-single, and a Grayson Ashe sac fly in the top of the third for a 5-2 Gamecock lead.
The Patriots put up a five-spot in the bottom of the third with a run scored on a wild pitch, a two-run single, and back-to-back RBI-knocks for a 7-5 lead after three.
A two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth, followed by a sac fly in the bottom of the sixth, extended DBU's lead to 10-5.
Thomas broke Jax State's scoring drought with a 429-foot solo homer to center field in the top of the eighth inning to cut the lead to four runs.
In the top of the ninth, the Gamecocks fell in order to close out the game.
The Gamecocks will look to salvage the finale of the series on Saturday afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m. Steven Cash will start for the Gamecocks, while DBU will start lefty Aiden VanDeHatert.
