THE RUNDOWN
No. 13 DBU (40-15) came up short in an 11–7 loss to Jacksonville State (36-24) on Saturday at the Conference USA Tournament in Lynchburg, Virginia. The setback forces a winner-take-all rematch tonight, with the winner advancing to face WKU in Sunday's CUSA Championship Game.
 
Jacksonville State jumped out to an early lead, scoring one run in the first off DBU starter Mason Peters, then tacking on three more in the second. Drew Collins delivered a two-run double, and Cooper Blauser followed with a clutch two-out RBI double to put the Gamecocks up 4–0.
 
DBU answered in the bottom half of the second when Ben Tryon crushed a towering 451-foot, two-run homer to right, trimming the deficit to 4–2.
 
The Gamecocks responded with a solo shot from Caleb Johnson in the third to push their lead to 5–2.
 
The Patriots chipped away in the seventh thanks to a defensive miscue. Adam Berghult's fly ball was dropped by right fielder Colton Hegwood, allowing Michael Dattalo to score all the way from first, cutting the lead to 5–3. But Jacksonville State added an insurance run in the eighth on Carson Hornung's two-out RBI single to make it 6–3.
 
DBU mounted another rally in their half of the eighth. Tom Poole ripped an RBI double to left-center, and Chayton Krauss followed with a run-scoring single to bring the Patriots within one at 6–5.
 
But the Gamecocks delivered a knockout punch in the ninth. Grayson Ashe launched a two-run homer off Liam Watt, who exited after a season-high five innings of relief. Jacksonville State added three more runs in the frame before Ashton Branson came on to record the final two outs.
 
DBU tried to rally again in the ninth, getting an RBI single from Nathan Humphreys, who notched his third hit of the day, but it wasn't enough to close the gap.
 
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Jacksonville State starting pitcher Karson Bonaparte delivered a season-best six-inning outing, allowing just two runs.
- Ben Tryon's home run was his second of the season with both coming during the team's trip to Lynchburg, Virginia.
- Jacksonville State totaled six two-out RBI; DBU had five RBI in two-out situations.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
24 - Nathan Humphreys leads the Patriots with 24 multi-hit games after going 3-for-5.
6 - Chayton Krauss lead DBU in hitting in the CUSA Tournament, going 6-for-9 at the plate.
8 - The Gamecocks were 8-for-15 in two-out situations.
 
UP NEXT
DBU and Jacksonville State square off once again tonight at 6:30 p.m., with a spot in the Conference USA Championship Game on the line. The winner earns a shot at the title against WKU on Sunday.

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