JACKSON – The top two teams in the MACJC squared off here Tuesday afternoon at Smith-Wills Stadium.
In the opener, No. 2 Jones County edged Meridian, 5-4. 
JCJC took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning when Jonathan Parker led off with a walk and was replaced by courtesy runner Josh Keel. Chris Richardson reached on a fielder's choice and scored on Fred Franklin's double. Franklin stole third base and Clint Sasser brought him home with a bunt single.
The Eagles tied it with two runs in the bottom of the third, but JCJC regained the lead in the fourth.
Tanner Huddleston led off with a triple and scored on Erick Hoard's groundout to make it 3-2.
Jones took a 5-2 lead in the top of the fifth.
Richardson and Franklin led off with singles. Sasser reached on an error, which allowed Richardson to score. Shelton Wallace's sacrifice fly scored Franklin.
Meridian answered with two runs in the bottom of the fifth, but neither team would score again.
The Eagles got a pair of singles with one out in the bottom of the ninth, but Will Brand got a strikeout and a flyout to end the game.
Zach Taylor, the third of five JCJC pitchers, was credited with the win. Taylor, 2-0, tossed 1 2/3 innings, allowed one earned run, three hits and walked one. Brand pitched the final two innings and earned his second save. He allowed no runs, two hits and struck out three.
Starter Ben Stiglets went two innings, allowed no runs and struck out two. Reed Michel pitched an inning and gave up two runs, two hits, walked one and struck out one. Jay Simpson pitched 2 1/3 innings, allowed one run, three hits and struck out two.
Offensively, Franklin doubled and singled twice, while Sasser had two singles. Huddleston tripled, Mason Irby doubled and Hoard and John Alan Wall added singles.
Meridian got three singles from Nate Romans, two singles each from Matt Berler and Eason Weeks and singles from Kyle Bayles, Luke Craig and Daniel Hill.
Bayles started on the hill for the Eagles, went two innings, allowed no hits and struck out three. Drew Smith pitched three innings, allowed five earned runs, six hits, walked one, struck out one and took the loss. Oren Myrick pitched the final four innings, allowed no runs, three hits and struck out two.