FINAL STATS

JACKSONVILLE – Zack Leonard had a pair of hits and drove in five runs to lead Eastern Michigan to a 10-8 win over Jacksonville State in the first game of a three-game series at Rudy Abbott Field on Friday.

Corey Chaffins (2-0) scattered six hits over 6 2/3 innings and tossed 125 pitches to earn his second win of the season. Brett Cisper earned his fourth save of the year after recording the final four outs. JSU's Hunter Rivers (2-1) gave up nine runs in 3 2/3 innings to get stuck with the loss for the Gamecocks.

The Eagles (5-7) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning after Leonard had a two-out single through the left side that scored two runs, but the Gamecocks tied the game in the second inning.

Daniel Adamson had a RBI double and Sam Eberle added a sacrifice fly as JSU scored two runs to tie the game at 2-2.

Eastern Michigan scored three runs in the third, thanks to a sacrifice fly by Todd Graves, while Daniel Russell drove in a run and Andrew Marshall had a RBI single as the Eagles built a 5-2 lead.

Jax State added a run in the third when Kyle Bluestein had a RBI infield grounder to cut the lead to 5-3 to score Bert Smith, but EMU answered in its next at-bat.

The Eagles scored four runs in the top of the fourth inning, highlighted by a two-out three-run home run by Leonard to build 9-3 advantage.

The Gamecocks scored a run in the fourth on a solo home run by Eberle to make the score 9-4, but EMU scored an unearned run in the fifth inning to take a 10-4 lead.

Eberle then hit his second home run of the day with a solo shot to left field in the sixth inning to cut the advantage to 10-5, before JSU plated two more runs in the eighth inning.

Blake Seguin had a RBI single and Todd Cunningham had a bases loaded walk to cut the lead to 10-7, before the Eagles were able to get out of the jam with a ground ball for the third out.

JSU added a run in the ninth inning after Steven Leach scored on an Andrew Edge RBI single, but could get no closer.

Eberle, Edge and Seguin each finished with three hits to lead the Gamecocks, while Ken Battison had three hits to lead Eastern Michigan.

The second game of the series begins at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Rudy Abbott Field.