ELLISVILLE – Second-ranked Mississippi Gulf Coast earned a split with No. 5 Jones County here Tuesday evening at Community Bank Park.
MGCCC's Kaitlin Lee scattered six hits as the Lady Bulldogs won, 4-0.
JCJC took the opener, 6-0.
The Lady Bobcats are now 24-5 overall and hold a two-game lead at the halfway point of the MACJC race with a 13-1 record. MGCCC is 25-3 overall and 9-3 in the league.
Lee, who signed with Ole Miss in November, managed to keep the Lady Bobcats off the scoreboard.
In the bottom of the first inning with one out, Cori McCrary reached on an error and Kelly Byrd singled. But Lee got a couple of ground ball outs to get out of the inning.
In the third, Brittany Hagwood led off with a single, but Kalyn Watts lined into a double play. After McCrary singled, Lee got Byrd to ground out to end the inning.
In the seventh, Natalie Hogue and Autumn Frost singled to start the inning, but Lee got a ground ball and a pair of strikeouts to end the game.
MGCCC took a 1-0 lead in the third when Lee reached on a bunt single, Brittany Cooley reached on an infield single and Lexie Mathis singled to load the bases. Deborah Elmore's ground ball out scored Lee.
In the fifth inning, Kelly Berry and Cooley singled. Mathis then hit a three-run home run to rightfield to give the Lady Bulldogs a 4-0 lead.
McCrary singled twice for JCJC, while Byrd, Hogue, Frost and Hagwood added singles.
Amanda Holliday, 9-3, pitched the first five innings and took the loss. She gave up four runs (all earned), nine hits, walked none and struck out three. Haylee Morse pitched the final two innings, allowed no runs, two hits, walked none and struck out two.
Lee, 12-1, went the distance, struck out five and walked none.
Mathis homered, singled twice and drove in three runs. Berry had three singles, while Lee and Cooley each had two singles. Hannah Melendrez had a triple.
JCJC's was scheduled to play at Northwest on Thursday, but those games have been postponed until April 10. The Lady Bobcats are scheduled to play at Mississippi Delta in a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Friday. They visit Pearl River on March 30.
MGCCC hosts Meridian on Friday.
 
Tuesday's game
Ellisville
Community Bank Park
Game 2
Mississippi Gulf Coast 4, Jones County 0
Miss. Gulf Coast (25-3, 9-3)          001 030 0 – 4 11 1
Jones County (24-5, 13-1)            000 000 0 – 0 6 1
Kaitlin Lee and Brittany Cooley. Amanda Holliday, Haylee Morse (6) and Natalie Hogue. WP-Lee (12-1). LP-Holliday (9-3). MGCCC hitters: Lexie Mathis HR, 2 1B; Kelly Berry 3 1B; Kaitlin Lee 2 1B; Brittany Cooley 2 1B; Hannah Melendrez 3B. JCJC hitters: Cori McCrary 2 1B; Kelly Byrd 1B; Natalie Hogue 1B; Autumn Frost 1B; Brittany Hagwood 1B. LOB: MGCCC-6; JCJC-6. T-1:33.