February 26, 2008

JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – In the first ever meeting between Division I Jacksonville State and Division III Millsaps, the host Gamecocks scored runs in the first three innings to take an early 5-0 lead and cruise to a non-conference win over the Majors on Tuesday, 11-3.

Millsaps (6-5), losers of five of its last six and three-straight for the first time since 2005, was held to just four hits behind strong pitching from the JState staff who surrendered a combined three runs (one earned), while striking out 13 and walking only three.

Junior Justin King picked up his first win of the year on the mound for the Gamecocks, allowing just two hits and striking out five in 5.0 innings of work, while Majors starter Tait Hendrix was hit with the loss after giving up only three hits but seven runs (five earned) and walking a career-high eight batters in 4.2 innings of work.

JState scored the first run of the ballgame in its half of the first, putting the first two runners on base by way of a walk and a single and eventually scoring several batters later on an Andrew Edge sacrifice fly to right.

An inning later, John David Smelser recorded his first career collegiate hit in impressive fashion, delivering a two-out, two-RBI triple to right that gave the Gamecocks a 3-0 lead. They pushed the lead out to 4-0 in the frame off a Millsaps balk, scoring Smelser.

The Majors cut the lead to 5-1 in the fourth when freshman Tony Malaschak launched his first career home run to left center to leadoff the inning before JState plated two runs of its own an inning later to stretch the lead back out to 7-1.

Millsaps would go on to score single runs in the sixth off a Derrik Boland RBI-single up the middle and ninth off a throwing error to make the final margin 11-3.

Frosh Todd Cunningham led the offensive attack for the home team, going 3-for-4 with a run scored, while seven other Gamecocks picked up a hit in their first win of the year. Malaschak, Boland, Hunter Owen and Josh Ordeneaux were each credited with a hit for Millsaps, while Malaschak and Boland were rewarded with the lone RBIs.

The Majors and Gamecocks will close out a two-game set on Wednesday at Rudy Abbott Field with first pitch slated for 3 p.m. Live stats and audio are available to follow the game.