From The Trussville Tribune staff reports
OXFORD, Miss. — Jacksonville State eliminated Clemson, 9-2, in the 2019 NCAA Oxford Regional to move into the regional championship round Sunday night.
The Gamecocks will face the Rebels of Ole Miss for a second time this weekend. First pitch is set for 8 p.m. and will be available on ESPN3 and aired on the Gamecock Sports Network.
After JSU (39-22) picked up the program’s first NCAA Division I Regional win on Friday, dispatching Illinois, it jumped on the Tigers (35-26) from the Atlantic Coast Conference early and never looked back. The Gamecocks struck for four two-out runs in the second inning, highlighted by a three-run home run by junior Tre Kirklin. Kirklin, from Kennesaw, Georgia, finished with four RBI on the day after beating out a fielder’s choice in JSU’s two-run seventh.
hose four runs would propel JSU starter Dylan Hathcock as the redshirt sophomore turned in another solid postseason outing. After going 6.2 innings against Morehead State to help JSU to the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Championship, the Tallassee, Alabama, lefty limited Clemson to its two runs in the second inning. He would pitch into the fifth after scattering six hits and letting his defense take care of the rest. JSU escaped scoring threats by the Tigers with a pair of double plays. The Tigers stranded 14 runners on the base paths.
JSU turned it over to the bullpen the rest of the way junior Corley Woods first, followed by freshman Michael Gilliland. Corley, who moved to 7-0 on the season held the Tigers to one hit and struck out three in 2.1 innings. Gilliland closed out the final 2.1 innings with a pair of strikeouts.
JSU expanded the lead in the fifth with an RBI by Isaac Alexander and Andrew Naismith. Alexander finished with a pair of RBI and two hits. Junior Alex Webb and sophomore Cole Frederick also had multiple hits. Alexander’s second RBI came in the eighth with an RBI single.
The Gamecocks’ two runs in the seventh crossed the plate on a wild pitch and Kirklin’s fielder’s choice.
