Baseball | 5/7/2018 2:28:00 PM
MERIDIAN – No. 20 Meridian scored three runs in its final at-bat and defeated No. 2 Jones County, 13-12 in eight innings in game two to complete a sweep of the Bobcats.
The Eagles took the opener, 16-8 in seven innings.
With the losses, JCJC finishes second in the MACJC at 22-6 behind Pearl River, who ended up at 23-5 and won the regular season state title.
The Bobcats will now host Hinds in a Best-of-3 playoff series at Community Bank Park. Game one will be at 6 p.m. on Thursday with game two at 1 p.m. on Friday. A third game, if necessary, would follow game two immediately.
JCJC is now 37-9 overall, while Meridian is 34-10 and finished third in the conference at 21-7. They will host Northeast in a best-of-three series. In the other playoff matchups, Mississippi Gulf Coast is at Northwest and Itawamba travels to East Central.
The four series winners, along with Pearl River and LSU-Eunice, will compete in the six-team, Region 23 Tournament, starting May 16 in Eunice, Louisiana.
It was a wild one in game two.
JCJC battled back from a 10-5 deficit by scoring five runs in the top of the sixth to tie it at 10-10.
The Bobcats scored twice in the top of the eighth, but the Eagles won it with three runs in the bottom of the eighth. It was a scheduled seven-inning game.
Miguel Morgan (South Jones) had a big game for Jones with a home run, double and single, while
Robbie Woody (Madison Central) had three singles.
Luther Woullard (D'Iberville) had two doubles and drove in three runs, while
Hudson Harris (West Jones) singled twice.
Cooper Brune (Ocean Springs) had a double with
Trace Henry (Mooreville and
Stephen Matthews (Tupelo) adding singles.
Will Freeman (Semmes, Alabama) went the final 2. 1 innings and got the loss. Freeman, 7-2, allowed four runs (three earned), five hits, walked four and struck out five. Starter
Jay Simpson (Presbyterian Christian School) went 2.1 innings, allowed six runs, eight hits and struck out two.
Bryce Fagan (Petal) went 2.1 innings, allowed three runs, three hits, walked two and struck out one.
Davis Bradshaw had two triples and a single and Blake Morris doubled twice for the Eagles. Hunter Stanley doubled, singled and drove in three runs.
Logan McDowell, one of six MCC pitchers, was credited with the win.
JCJC led 1-0 after one, but MCC led 3-2 after two, 6-3 after three, 7-4 after four and 10-5 after five.
