JACKSONVILLE, Ala. — Bellarmine baseball's series finale at Jacksonville State started out with a bang - in fact, it was the most immediate bang possible.   Matt Higgins skied the first pitch of the afternoon for an opposite field home run, but the Knights ultimately fell 5-1.

Bellarmine ended the series taking one of three from the Gamecocks, after a 4-3 win on Friday and 4-2 loss on Thursday.   The BU offensive output in the series of seven total  runs was in stark contrast to the production in the previous series against North Alabama - 41 runs.

Higgins' home run was his team-best 12th of the season, ranking top-5 in the ASUN.

Unfortunately for the Knights, they managed just two hits outside of Higgins' bomb.  One of the other hits came from Higgins in the fifth on a single to right field, while the other was courtesy of Davis Crane on a single in the ninth.

Jacksonville State slowly but surely pulled away, starting in the first inning when the Gamecocks immediately answered Bellarmine's lone run.  Mason Maners started the inning with a double and later scored on a TJ Reeves base hit to tie the game 1-1.

Brennen Norton's RBI single and a Maners RBI bunt single to first base tacked on two more runs for JSU, pushing the Gamecocks ahead 3-1 after four.  Another RBI single from Norton and RBI walk from Isaac Alexander in the fifth extended the advantage to 5-1, where it would stay.

The Knights had a bullpen day using eight different pitchers.  Steven Thom, Ryan Johnson, Nick Parrish, Joe Wilkinson, and Matt Craven were the final five who threw - none of which allowed a run.

Jake Peppers had a hot start for JSU, allowing two hits through six and nabbing his third win.

Bellarmine stays on the road with a Tuesday game at no. 1 ranked Tennessee on Tuesday.  The game will begin at 6:30 p.m. in Knoxville.

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