JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – The Samford University baseball team dropped a 12-6 decision at in-state rival Jacksonville State Tuesday afternoon at Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium.
 
With the loss, Samford fell to 3-1 on the young season. Jacksonville State improved its record to 4-1 with the win.
 
Samford was led at the plate by Hayden Perry, going 2-for-4 with an RBI. Jeffrey Ince, Jake Souders, Angelo Prieto and Trey Higgins drove in a run each for the Bulldogs. Brooks Rice (0-1) pitched 2.0 innings, giving up five runs on five hits to take the loss on the mound for Samford.
 
For Jacksonville State, Drew Collins went 3-for-4 with two triples, a home run and six RBI. Brady Thomas (1-0) pitched 2.1 innings, giving up no runs on one hit to earn the win for the Gamecocks.
 
Samford struck first with three runs in the top of the third inning. Jacksonville State, however, took the lead for good with five runs in the bottom of the third. The Gamecocks followed that up with four runs in the fourth inning and one in the fifth to push their lead to 10-3.
 
The Bulldogs came back with two runs in the seventh inning and one run in the eighth to cut the lead to 10-6. Jacksonville State plated two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to make the final score 12-6.
 
Samford will next travel to Knoxville, Tenn., for a three-game series at fourth-ranked Tennessee this weekend. The teams are scheduled to play Friday at 3:30 p.m. (CT), Saturday at 3 p.m. (CT) and Sunday at 1 p.m. (CT).
 
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