Richmond, Ky. – Jacksonville State's Matthew Darwin threw 7.0 solid innings on Sunday to pick up his first win of the season and lead the Gamecocks to a 6-1 win over Eastern Kentucky in the two team's series finale. Darwin (1-3) made just one bad pitch on the afternoon, which EKU junior Chris O'Dell deposited over the wall in right field, holding the Colonels to five hits and one run in the win.
Junior Nick Barte (0-2) took the loss for the Colonels (10-19, 4-7 Ohio Valley Conference) despite striking out a career-high eight batters. Barte went 5.1 innings, shutting down JSU over the first three innings, but surrendered two triples en route to a three-run Gamecock sixth inning. The junior allowed just four hits in his start, but issued four free passes which Jacksonville State (16-18, 7-5 OVC) capitalized on.
Eastern outhit the Gamecocks 6-to-5, but three of those hits came from senior Derrick Bussell, who also stole his team-leading 18th base in the loss. Junior Greg Harper went the final 3.2 innings for EKU, allowing one hit and one run during his stint.
O'Dell's fourth homer of the year, a solo shot to right center, gave the Colonels an early 1-0 lead in the top of the second. Barte coasted through the first three innings, striking out five Gamecocks (including three in the second frame), but surrendered consecutive triples in the fourth as JSU went ahead 2-1.
Austin Stein opened the frame with the team's first triple and went on to score the tying run off Jake Ball's three-bagger. Ball came around to score off a sacrifice fly to deep right by Brian Piazza, putting the Gamecocks ahead 2-1.
Barte made short work of JSU in the fifth, while picking up his eighth strikeout of the game, but worked himself into a jam in the sixth. JSU loaded the bases with no outs on the board off back-to-back walks and a bloop single by Brian Piazza.
With the bags full and no outs, Barte hit Richard Turner with a pitch to make it a 3-1 contest. Brian Haskins pushed Jacksonville State's lead to three runs, 4-1, when his sacrifice fly to right scored Ball. Harper came on in relief of Barte with runners on second and third, but was unable to prevent any further damage as an RBI single by Brett Pettus increased JSU's advantage to four runs, 5-1. Turner tried to score from second off Pettus' single, but was nailed at the plate by an on-target throw from right fielder Bryan Stevenson.
JSU tacked on an insurance run in the top of the ninth, thanks to a sacrifice fly by Winston Pearson, then watched as Clark Jinks closed the door on Eastern. Jinks pitched the final 2.0 innings for the Gamecocks, surrendering just one hit with two strikeouts. EKU junior Brett Bolger saw his 19-game hit streak snapped with an 0-for-3 performance on the day.
The Colonels return to action Tuesday afternoon when they welcome Xavier to Turkey Hughes Field at 3 p.m.
