Baseball | 3/2/2019 7:32:00 AM

ELLISVILLE – The Jones College Bobcats made an early season statement here Friday night at Community Bank Park.
Starting pitcher Lane Thomas (Walker, Louisiana) had seven strikeouts and Brandon Hale (Pontotoc) and Jake Mason (West Lauderdale) belted home runs as the Bobcats whipped defending national champion and top-ranked LSU-Eunice, 11-4.
The win improves Jones – unranked in the NJCAA Division II preseason poll – to 10-0. LSU-Eunice falls to 16-2. The first regular season poll comes out next week.
Earlier, the 'Cardiac Cats' scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and rallied to defeat Illinois Central, 4-3.
In the middle game of the day, LSU-Eunice beat Illinois Central, 12-2 in six innings.
Jones is scheduled to host No. 2 Parkland College (Illinois) in a 2 p.m. Sunday doubleheader.
Bobcats 11, No. 1 Bengals 4
Thomas was solid as he improved to 3-0.
The Bengals took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a base-loaded, two-run single by Nick Bellina.
Jones scored in the bottom of the second when Blake Johnson (Gulfport) was hit by a pitch and later scored on a single by Gabe Lacy (Gulfport).
The Bobcats tied it in the third inning when Trace Henry (Mooreville) was hit by a pitch, stole second and scored on a Robbie Woody (Madison Central) single to right.
Hale's solo home run to left put the Bobcats ahead 3-2 in the fourth.
Jones added to the lead in the fifth. Henry was hit by a pitch again to start the inning, Woody followed with a single and Mason walked to load the bases with no outs.
O'Neill Burgos (Brookhaven Academy) then hit a dribbler back to the mound. Pitcher Andrew Sheridan could not field it cleanly and Henry scored. Woody would score and make it 5-2 when Johnson hit into a double play.
Hale led off the sixth with a double to right-center. Lacy sacrificed, but LSUE threw the ball away at first base, allowing Hale to score and make it 6-2.
The Bengals closed the gap in the seventh when with one out Javier Vaz walked and River Town mashed a two-run home run to center to make it 6-4. Jarrett McDonald then drew a walk and Tristan Welch singled to put two runners on with one out. But reliever Hunter Eldridge (West Lauderdale) got a ground out and a strikeout to end the inning.
The Bobcats responded with a five-spot in the bottom of the seventh.
With one out, Mason drilled an opposite field home run over the rightfield wall. Burgos walked, Johnson lined a single to right and Bailee Hendon (Vancleave) walked to load the bases. Hale then walked to force Burgos home and make it 8-4.
Lacy's sacrifice fly to right made it 9-4 and Chase Tilghman's (Meridian) two-run single to left ended the scoring.
Thomas, 3-0, went six innings, allowed two runs, five hits and walked five. Eldridge pitched two innings, allowed two runs, two hits, walked two and struck out two. Johnson pitched the final inning and got two strikeouts. Bobcat pitchers combined for 11 strikeouts.
Woody had three singles, Hale homered and doubled and Mason homered to lead the offense. Johnson, Lacy and Tilghman added singles.
Starter Andrew Sheridan went 5.2 innings, allowed six runs, six hits, walked one, struck out four and got the loss. Jerry Couch pitched two innings, allowed five runs, three hits and walked three. Jacob Spell went .1 innings and got a strikeout.
Town homered and singled, Vaz doubled and Welch, Webre, Bellina and Austin Kirkpatrick added singles.
LSU-Eunice will play East Central and Parkland in Vicksburg on Saturday.
Bobcats 4, Cougars 3
Jones trailed 3-0 entering the bottom of the sixth.
With one out, Hale singled and Hendon walked. Steven Sasser (South Jones) followed with a run-scoring single past third base to make it 3-1. Henry reached on a fielder's choice, allowing Hendon to score and make it 3-2.
Woody then hit a drive to center that went over the centerfielder's head and rolled to the wall. The RBI triple drove in Henry and tied the game at 3-3. Mason followed with the go-ahead single to center.
Cade Morgan (Grenada) worked a 1-2-3 seventh to end the game.
ICC had taken a 2-0 lead in the first inning when Renegade Schott doubled and Adam Christiansen followed with a two-run home run just inside the rightfield foul pole. 
The Cougars made it 3-0 in the third when Brady Brecklin led off with a double and later scored on a bases loaded walk to Ben Hopkins.
Morgan, 1-0, pitched the final two innings and got the win in his first appearance of the season. He allowed no runs or hits, walked two and struck out one.
Starter Coleton Ausbern (Nettleton) went five innings, giving up three runs, five hits and three walks. He struck out six.
ICC starter Tanner Rhoades went 5.2 innings, allowed two runs, seven hits, walked three and struck out three. Reliever Noah Fisher went .1 innings and got the loss, allowing two runs and two hits. Tyler Gregory got the last out.
Schott doubled twice, Christiansen homered, Brecklin doubled and Jordan Mercer singled for ICC.
The Cougars, 0-2, plays at Mississippi Gulf Coast on Saturday and Pearl River on Sunday.
 
Friday's games
Ellisville
Jones College
Community Bank Park
Jones College 4, Illinois College 3
Illinois College (0-1)   201 000 0 – 3 5 0
Jones College (9-0)    000 004 x – 4 9 0
Tanner Rhoades, Noah Fisher (6), Tyler Gregory and Adam Christiansen. Coleton Ausbern, Cade Morgan (6) and Steven Sasser. WP-Morgan (1-0). LP-Fisher. ICC hitters:Renegade Schott 2 2B; Adam Christiansen HR; Brady Brecklin 2B; Jordan Mercer 1B. Jones hitters:Robbie Woody 3B, 2 1B; Jake Mason 2 1B; Brandon Hale 2 1B. LOB:ICC-9; Jones-9. T-1:55.
 
Jones 11, No. 1 LSU-Eunice 4
LSU-Eunice (16-2)       200 000 200 – 4 7 2
Jones College (10-0)   011 120 60x – 11 9 1
Andrew Sheridan, Jerry Couch (6), Jacob Spell (8) and Austin Kirkpatrick. Lane Thomas, Hunter Eldridge (7), Blake Johnson (9) and Chase Tilghman. WP-Thomas (3-0). LP-Sheridan. LSUE hitters:River Town HR, 1B; Javier Vaz 2B; Tristan Welch 1B; Nick Webre 1B; Nick Bellina 1B; Austin Kirkpatrick 1B. Jones hitters: Robbie Woody 3 1B; Brandon Hale HR, 2B; Jake Mason 1B; Blake Johnson 1B; Gabe Lacy 1B; Chase Tilghman 1B. LOB: LSUE-10; Jones-6. T-2:39.