ELLISVILLE – No. 2 Jones County received a sterling relief pitching effort from Zach Taylor and defeated Hinds 6-2 in Game 2 of a doubleheader here Tuesday evening at Community Bank Park.
Taylor allowed just two hits over the final four innings and got the win.
The Eagles edged the Bobcats in the opener, 4-3.
JCJC is now 38-4 overall and 21-3 in the MACJC. The Bobcats have a four-game lead over Meridian (17-7) in the conference with four games remaining in the regular season.
The magic number is "1" for JCJC to clinch the top seed for postseason play.
The Eagles are now 24-18 overall, 16-10 in league play.
With the game tied 2-2, Will Craft walked and Hunter Bell reached on a bunt single for Hinds. Taylor entered in relief of starter Logan Robbins.
A bunt single by Jackson Mitchell loaded the bases with no outs. Taylor then got Chase Cockrell to line out to second baseman Clint Sasser, who flipped the ball to shortstop Dalton Skelton to double off Bell for the double play.
Mitchell then got in a rundown between first and second. Craft tried to steal home on the play, but was thrown out by Sasser.
The Bobcats took a 3-2 lead in the fifth when Fred Franklin reached on an infield single and took second on a groundout by Sasser.
Shelton Wallace then tripled into the rightfield corner to score Franklin and Mason Irby's sacrifice fly to left scored Wallace to make it 4-2.
JCJC added two more runs in the sixth.
Erick Hoard led off with a single and was sacrificed to second by John Alan Wall. Skelton singled sharply to right to make it 5-2. Chris Richardson entered as a pinch-runner, stole second and scored when Jonathan Parker reached on an error.
The Bobcats had taken a 2-0 lead in the second.
With two outs, Wall singled, Skelton walked and Parker reached on an error to load the bases. Franklin reached on an infield hit, which scored Wall, and Skelton came home on an error.
Hinds tied it in the third.
Bell and Mitchell walked and Cockrell doubled Bell home. Trey Jolly walked to load the bases and Landry Newsom walked to force in a run.
Taylor, 1-0, pitched the final four innings, gave up two hits, walked one and struck out three. Starter Logan Robbins went three innings, allowed two earned runs, four hits, struck out five and walked five.
Franklin singled twice for the Bobcats, while Wallace tripled. Sasser, Hoard, Wall and Skelton had singles.
Layne Tedder went the first 4 2/3 innings and took the loss. He allowed four runs (two earned), five hits, walked one and struck out three. Colin Coates pitched 2/3 of an inning, allowed one run and one hit. Carlisle Koestler pitched 1/3 of an inning, allowed one run (unearned), one hit, walked one and struck out one. Dylan Henderson pitched to one batter and retired him.
Cockrell doubled and singled for the Eagles, while Bell, Mitchell, Newsom and Riley Balch singled.
The Bobcats are scheduled to play a noon doubleheader April 30 at Coahoma, but those games could be moved because of the forecast of rain for the weekend. JCJC concludes the regular season with a 4 p.m. doubleheader May 2 at Meridian.
JCJC will host a best-of-three MACJC playoff series on May 6-7. The opponent is still to be determined.
Hinds is slated to host Mississippi Delta on April 29 in its regular season finale.  
 
Tuesday's game
Ellisville
Community Bank Park
Game 2                                                                                                                                 
Jones County 6, Hinds 2
Hinds (24-18, 16-10)                     002 000 0 – 2 6 4
Jones County (38-4, 21-3)           020 022 x – 6 7 0
Layne Tedder, Colin Coates (5), Carlisle Koestler (6), Dylan Henderson (6) and Ryley Balch. Logan Robbins, Zach Taylor (4) and Jonathan Parker. WP-Taylor (1-0). LP-Tedder (0-1). Hinds hitters: Chase Cockrell 2B, 1B; Hunter Bell 1B; Jackson Mitchell 1B; Landry Newsom 1B; Riley Balch. 1B. JCJC hitters: Fred Franklin 2 1B; Shelton Wallace 3B; Clint Sasser 1B; Erick Hoard 1B; John Alan Wall 1B; Dalton Skelton 1B. LOB: Hinds-8; JCJC-5. T-2:15.