Baseball | 3/16/2019 9:16:00 PM
SOUTHAVEN – The 4
th-ranked Jones College Bobcats opened MACJC play in a great way here Saturday afternoon at Desoto Central High School.
The Bobcats rallied for five runs with two outs and two strikes in the top of the ninth inning to defeat No. 16 Northwest in game one, 9-5. In game two, the Bobcats never trailed as they posted a 6-2 decision.
The Bobcats, 17-1 overall and 2-0 in the MACJC, host Holmes in a 3 p.m. Tuesday doubleheader.
Northwest, 11-5 and 0-2, hosts Northeast on Tuesday.
No. 4 Bobcats 9, No. 16 Rangers 5
Jones trailed 5-4 going into the top of the ninth.
With one out,
Trace Henry (Mooreville) was hit by a pitch. With two outs and facing a 1-2 count,
Brandon Hale (Pontotoc) singled to drive in Henry, who had taken second on a ground out by
Robbie Woody (Madison Central). After
Jake Mason (West Lauderdale) was hit by a pitch,
O'Neill Burgos (Brookhaven Academy) followed with a single to right to give Jones a 6-5 lead.
Blake Johnson (Gulfport) then delivered his team-leading, sixth home run of the season to give the Bobcats a 9-5 lead.
Coleton Ausbern (Nettleton) then pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth to secure the win.
Burgos had a double and two singles with Hale getting a double and a single and two RBIs and Woody adding two singles. Johnson had the home run and Mason added a single.
Ausbern pitched the final five innings, allowed two runs (one earned), three hits, walked two and struck out three. He got the win and is now 5-0 on the year.
Starter
Lane Thomas (Walker, Louisiana) went four innings, allowed three runs (two earned), four hits, walked one and struck out four.
The Rangers led 1-0 after one inning. The game was tied 1-1 after two, Jones led 2-1 after three and Northwest led 3-2 after four. It was tied 3-3 after five and the Rangers led 4-3 after six and 5-3 after seven. The Bobcats scored a run in the eighth before exploding for five runs in the ninth.
Brayland Skinner had a double, two singles and two RBIs and Ben Van Cleve had two singles and two RBIs for the Rangers.
Northwest starter Parker Stinnett went seven innings, allowed three runs (two earned), four hits, walked two and struck out four. Reed Harding went the final two innings and got the loss. He gave up six runs, five hits, walked one and hit three.
No. 4 Bobcats 6, No. 16 Rangers 2
Starter
Brady Greene (Montgomery, Alabama) was sharp and paced Jones in game two.
Greene went 5.2 innings, allowed two runs, three hits, walked two and struck out three as he upped his record to 2-0.
Cade Morgan (Grenada) tossed .1 innings and Johnson pitched the seventh, allowing no runs, no hits, two walks and recording two strikeouts.
Henry had two singles and two RBIs for Jones with Woody, Mason, Burgos, Johnson,
Bailee Hendon (Vancleave) and
Gabe Lacy (Gulfport) adding singles.
The Bobcats led 2-1 after two, 3-2 after six and scored three in the seventh to expand the lead.
Peyton Mills tripled and Van Cleve doubled for Northwest.
Starter Dalton Fowler went five innings and got the loss. He gave up two runs, three hits, walked seven and struck out four.
