JACKSONVILLE, ALA – University of Memphis baseball lost a 13-inning season opener Friday to Jacksonville State, the two teams first-ever meeting. The Gamecocks hit a walk-off home run
Jacksonville State brought out RHP Austin Cornelius to start the game on the mound. This was his first ever colligate start, despite appearing out of the bullpen 23 times last season.
Early in the game, Jacob Compton recorded the first hit of the 2024Tigers season, Compton smashed a double to deep left field.
RHP David Warren was the starting pitcher for coach Matt Riser’s Tigers Friday afternoon. He did not have the best start, giving up an early triple to the Gamecocks.
This one cuts a little deep, you don’t expect to go 13 innings on opening night. The good thing that showed out of it was that we fought, and there’s no question about that.
Matt Riser, Memphis Baseball Coach
Caleb Johnson’s triple was later cashed in by a Brennen Norton RBI single. JSU led Memphis 1-0 after one inning.
The Tigers responded immediately. Daunte Stuart drew his 110th collegiate walk, followed by a Seth Cox double early in the second inning. Catcher Brennan DuBose cashed in both of those runs with an RBI double.
The Gamecocks started getting some momentum in the bottom of the fourth inning. Freshman Gabe Young hit a 1-out triple, which called for a Tigers mound visit. Following the meeting, pitcher David Warren recorded the next two outs in just two pitches to hold on to the Tigers one run lead.
JSU was threatening again in the bottom of the fifth, with back-to-back singles and just one out. Memphis once again found their way out of the jam with a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
In the top of the sixth, Memphis got its first long ball of the season. DH Seth Cox hit a three-run shot to deep center allowing Memphis to take a 5-1 lead.
Jacksonville State answered instantly. Memphis grabbed pitcher Brandon Chorezelewiski from the bullpen. Chorezelewiski gave up a walk and a hit quickly. Gabe Young then smacked an RBI double to cut the lead down to 3. Coach Riser pulled Chorezelewiski before he could record an out. JSU would score two more runs on a sacrifice and a passed ball in the bottom of the 6th.
In the eighth inning, JSU’s Bear Madliak tied the game with an RBI double. Memphis could not get anything going on offense since the sixth inning. The score was then 5-5.
Memphis got some things going in the 9th, but eventually left two runners stranded. JSU went down in order to send us into extra innings.
Neither team could generate a lot of offense in extras. JSU in fact struck out 8 Memphis batters in a row across extra innings.
Finally, in the bottom of the 13th inning, Brennan Norton of Jacksonville State hit a walk off home run to deep left field. Memphis fell to 0-1 to start the 2024 season.
“This one cuts a little deep, you don’t expect to go 13 innings on opening night,” Riser said after the game. “The good thing that showed out of it was that we fought, and there’s no question about that.”
The Tigers take on the Gamecocks again today at 2 p.m. on ESPN +.
The Tigerpen 