South Alabama and Texas State split a Sun Belt Conference baseball doubleheader by identical 8-4 scores on Thursday at Stanky Field.

The Bobcats won the opener, then the Jaguars returned the favor in the nightcap. The teams will complete their three-game series — moved up one day due to Sunday’s Easter holiday, then another day due to anticipated bad weather — with a single game at 2 p.m. Friday.

South Alabama has now won five of its last seven games, and can win its second straight Sun Belt series with a victory on Friday. The Jaguars won two of three at James Madison last weekend.

South Alabama 8, Texas State 4 (second game)

The Jaguars (14-17, 4-7 Sun Belt) never trailed in Game 2, as Will Turner hit a two-run homer in the first inning and Cole Ketzner added an RBI single in the second for an early 3-0 lead.

The Bobcats (20-11, 6-5) got single runs in the third and fourth innings, but Tyler Borges’ two-run single with two outs in the fifth gave South Alabama a 5-2 cushion. After a solo homer by Texas State’s Chase Mora in the sixth made it 5-3, JG Bell doubled home two runs in the bottom of the inning — and then scored on Turner’s RBI groundout — to put the game away.

“I found some barrels, some balls fell in for us,” said Bell, South Alabama’s starting shortstop. “… We kind of just chipped away throughout the game, and it worked out for us in the end.”

Texas State got to within 8-4 after a two-out error in the seventh, but South Alabama reliever Eric Lin retired seven of the Bobcats’ final eight hitters to lock down the victory. Starter Sam Knowlton allowed one run over the first three innings, then gave way to the bullpen. Matthew DeLano (2-0) picked up the victory, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits in 3 2/3 innings. Knowlton, DeLano and Lin combined to allow just eight hits and walked only three.

“I was hoping for four out of Sam,” South Alabama coach Mark Calvi said. “He gave us one less, but I thought he was really good on short rest. DeLano was really good. Turner’s home run early in the game got us off to a good start. I think we were able to take a little bit of a breath. … And then Lin coming in at the end shut it down.”

Bell led the way offensively with three hits and three runs scored, while Turner drove in three. Ketzner and Joseph Sullivan reached base three times each.

Starter Austin Smith (1-2) took the loss for Texas State, allowing two runs in just one inning. The Bobcats used seven pitchers in Game 2, five of them allowing at least one run.

Texas State 8, South Alabama 4 (first game)

The Bobcats blew open a close game with four runs in the seventh inning, all of which scored with two outs.

Ryder Hernandez’s RBI single put Texas State up 4-2, then Davis Powell cleared the bases with a 3-run double to make it 7-2. All those runs came off South Alabama reliever Jackson Boyd, who took over after Jeremy Lee (0-5) allowed three through the first five innings.

South Alabama got two runs back in the bottom of the seventh to make it 7-4 on an RBI single by Erick Orbeta and a bases-loaded double play grounder. Texas State reliever Nathan Medrano put out the fire by retiring nine straight to end the game, picking up a save in relief of starter Levi Wells (5-1).

“We just weren’t good enough in the middle of the game on the mound,” Calvi said. “We got some hits, but didn’t get that backbreaker of a two-out hit when we needed it. We left some guys on. It was just one of those games. I give (Texas State) credit.”

Texas State scored three times in the second on a single, a walk, a sacrifice bunt, a hit batter, an infield grounder by Cade Manning and Hernandez’s 2-run single. Hernandez drove in three of the Bobcats’ seven runs out of the 9-hole in the order.

Lee pitched well otherwise, retiring Texas State in order in four of his five innings. He was charged with two earned runs on two hits, with a walk and a hit batter.

South Alabama got its first run in the second on Colson Lawrence’s RBI double, making it 3-1. The Jaguars cut it to 3-2 in the sixth when Turner doubled to lead off the inning and came home on Sullivan’s RBI grounder.

Turner and Lawrence each had two of South Alabama’s nine hits. Boyd allowed four runs in 1 2/3 innings, while Texas State scored one in the ninth on August Ramirez’s sacrifice fly off Garfield Johns.