Game 1 Box Score I Game 2 Box Score

RICHMOND, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University baseball team nearly erased a 10-0 deficit in game two, but visiting Jacksonville State held on for the win and a sweep of the Colonels in Saturday's Ohio Valley Conference doubleheader at Turkey Hughes Field.

With the pair of wins, JSU improves to 29-22 (20-6 OVC) while EKU falls to 17-30 (13-12 OVC).

JSU jumped out to a quick 10-0 lead in game two thanks in large part to scoring four runs in both of the first two innings off EKU starter #Ben Gullo#. The Colonels began to rally in the bottom of the sixth, however. Freshman #Kyle Nowlin# led off the frame with a single. After freshman #Doug Teegarden# flew out, junior #Sean Hagen# reached on a fielder's choice and Nowlin went to third on a throwing error. The next batter, senior #Shaun Ball#, laced a double into left field, scoring Nowlin. Junior #Bryan Soloman# then capped the scoring  with a three-run shot into right-center to make the score 10-4.

With sophomore #Nick Bozman# and junior #Myles Scott# stifling JSU from the mound, the EKU rally continued in the very next inning, as senior #Austin Grisham# led off with a base hit and went to second on a one-out single by Nowlin. Teegarden and Hagen then followed with back-to-back RBI base hits and, finally, Ball made it a one-run game with a three-run home run over the wall in right field.

The miraculous comeback was not to be, though, as JSU closer Travis Stout came on in the bottom of the eighth and held the Colonels scoreless over the final 1.2 innings of the game. Hagen singled in the bottom of the ninth, allowing the potential winning run to reach the plate, but Stout got Ball to pop out and Soloman to strike out looking to end the game.

Nowlin finished game two 3-for-5 with two runs scored, while Ball drove in a team-best four runs.

Coty Blanchard led the Gamecocks in the winning effort, going 3-for-5 with three RBI and a pair of runs scored.

Gullo (2-3) picked up the loss for EKU, while Taylor Shields (7-2) went six innings to earn the win for JSU.

In game one, JSU jumped out to another commanding lead, this one 9-0 after seven innings. The Colonels attempted another late rally, but could only muster four runs in the final two innings.

Freshman #John Wilson# got things going in the bottom of the eighth with a pinch-hit single to left field. After a double to left-center by freshman #Kenny Hostrander# brought Wilson to third, freshman #Luke Wurzelbacher# and Grisham followed with consecutive RBI groundouts to make the score 9-2.

Nowlin and senior #Matt Phipps# then led off the bottom of the ninth with back-to-back hits and came home on a two-run single by Soloman, but that was it, as Robby Lilly closed it out for JSU, getting Hostrander to fly out to center to end the game.

Junior #Brent Cobb# (5-6) with six innings and allowed just three earned runs, but picked up the loss in game one. Casey Antley (5-4) held the Colonels to just two runs over seven innings of work to pick up the win for the Gamecocks.

EKU will attempt to salvage game three tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. at Turkey Hughes Field.