JSU baseball: Edwards dominates in Gamecocks' win, especially in tricky third inning

Mar. 6—JACKSONVILLE — Who could blame Jacksonville State's Christian Edwards for lobbying his coach to stay in the game Friday night?

In the sixth inning of a 4-0 win over Southern Mississippi, Edwards was in the process of pitching a dominating game. He hadn't allowed a run, had given up a pair of singles, and had struck out eight. It was the best outing by a JSU starting pitcher through the Gamecocks' nine games this year.

Still, with two outs, a couple of runners on base, and Edwards having thrown 86 pitches, Jim Case walked out of the dugout to get Edwards.

"He fought me for the ball, which I appreciate," Case said after the game.

Case said that he reminded Edwards that it's a long season.

"It's a marathon and not a sprint," Case said. "I told him, 'I love that you're fighting me for the ball, but at the same time, I'm trying to look out for you.'"

There wasn't much drop-off after Edwards left. Jackson Tavel relieved and worked 1 2/3 innings, not allowing a run. Trey Fortner finished the final 1 2/3 innings and kept USM from scoring, even getting out of a tricky situation in the ninth when the Golden Eagles had runners on second and third with one out.

Still, it was Edwards who set the tone, especially after getting out of a tough third inning. USM loaded the bases with no outs, and Edwards responded by striking out three batters in a row.

"It was the first time I've ever shown emotion on the mound," Edwards said. "It was pretty exciting."

The Golden Eagles lost to Mississippi State on Wednesday and struck out 20 times. Edwards didn't give them a break, as Case said all three of his pitches were working and that his breaking ball was as good as it's been since he arrived at JSU three years ago.

"I thought he was fantastic," Case said. "He had all three pitches going. He was very, very competitive. Against a team that ... you knew they were going to come in with the intent of putting the ball in play. To come out and get eight strikeouts in 5 2/3 was fantastic."

And as for that sixth inning when Case took him out? Edwards didn't seem to have any hard feelings at all.

"I wanted to get that last guy and finish my outing," he said. "I definitely didn't want to come out in the middle of an inning, but Tavel came in, did a great job and got the guy out."

What to know

—Isaac Alexander went 3-for-4 with a bunt single, a chopper that the third baseman couldn't field, and a triple down the right field line. His batting average is .333. When last season ended because of the pandemic after 15 games, Alexander was hitting .156 when most anything he hit hard was right at someone.

—Cole Frederick went 3-for-5 with a solo home run. Jaylen Williams and Alex Strachan each hit solo home runs, too.

—Alex Carignan caught for the third straight game and went 1-for-4. His batting average is .312. Regular catcher Alex Webb was the designated hitter, as Case said Carignan has earned the right to play and gives JSU two good catchers.

Who said

—Alexander on bouncing back from last season: "Last year, ending that way. I did hit some balls hard, but my average wasn't great. I did a lot of homework over the summer, watching my at-bats, trying to fix my swing mechanics. I got in a groove this fall and this spring where I was doing really well. I'm trying to maintain that approach now, even if I have a bad game."

—Alexander on the bunt single: "Coach Case gave the sign, that it was my option whether to do it. ... I've been working on bunting in the off-season, trying to put that in play."

—Case on Tavel's outing after he pitched to three batters Wednesday against Samford and didn't get any of them out: "This game is so mental, and I'm hoping this will build some confidence in him, because we need him."

Next up

—JSU (5-4) and USM (4-5) will play again Saturday at 4 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. The Saturday game originally was scheduled for 6, but it was moved up two hours.

Senior Editor Mark Edwards: 256-235-3570. On Twitter: @MarkSportsStar.