Baseball | 5/4/2019 9:50:00 AM

ELLISVILLE – The 7^th-ranked Jones College Bobcats split their final home regular season doubleheader here Friday on "Sophomore Day" at Community Bank Park.
But the Bobcats did clinch the No. 2 seed in the MACJC regular season standings.
In game one, freshman Coleton Ausbern (Nettleton) ran his record to 7-0 as the Bobcats defeated East Mississippi, 5-2. In game two, the Lions jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the second inning and went on to post a 12-2, five-inning victory.
The Bobcats are now 35-9 overall and 20-8 in the MACJC. Jones and Northwest tied for second in the conference, but the Bobcats swept the Rangers during the season and will earn the No. 2 seed.
Jones will now host a best-of-three Region 23 series on May 9-10 vs. the No. 9 seed, Hinds. 
Game 1 will be at 6 p.m. Thursday and Game 2 will be at 2 p.m. Friday. Game 3, if necessary, will be immediately after Game 2. All postseason games will be nine innings.
The winner of the Jones/Hinds series advances to Region 23 Tournament the following week at Itawamba. Itawamba won the MACJC regular season title and will host the Region 23 Tournament.
East Mississippi ends the season at 11-30 overall and 8-20 in league play.
No. 7 Bobcats 5, Lions 2
Ausbern started and threw five scoreless innings for Jones, allowing just two hits, walking none and recording six strikeouts.
Payton Harris (Oak Grove) went the final 1.2 innings and earned his fifth save. He gave up no hits and struck out two. DJ Alexander (Gretna, Louisiana) tossed 2.0 innings and gave up one run, two hits, walked two and struck out three. Chance Forbes (Columbia Academy) pitched .1 of an inning and gave up two hits.
The Bobcats took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning.
O'Neill Burgos (Brookhaven Academy) drew a walk and stole second base. Blake Johnson (Gulfport) singled to left. The ball got past the leftfielder and Burgos scored on the error. Johnson would later score on a wild pitch.
Jones made it 4-0 in the fifth when Tracy Henry (Mooreville) was hit by a pitch, stole second and scored on Bailee Hendon's (Vancleave) two-out single. After Burgos was hit by a pitch, Johnson followed with an RBI single.
The Bobcats went up 5-0 in the fifth when Henry walked, advanced to second on Robbie Woody's (Madison Central) fielder's choice and scored when Brandon Hale (Pontotoc) reached on an error.
The Lions got on the scoreboard in the eighth.
Austin Beech reached on an error and Tyler Miller singled. Stuart Coggins doubled to left to drive in Beech and Phillip Martin's sacrifice fly to center scored Miller. 
After a Zarin Cole single brought the tying run to the plate, Harris entered the game for Jones. He threw one pitch and got a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.
Johnson doubled and singled twice for Jones with Hendon getting two singles. Henry, Lacy, Jake Mason (West Lauderdale) and Chase Tilghman (West Lauderdale) added singles.
Miller had two singles for EMCC. Coggins doubled and Cole, Josh Smith and S.T. McMurrian added singles.
Starter Austin Campbell went four innings and took the loss. He allowed two runs (one earned), six hits, walked one and struck out seven. Reid Blakely tossed 3.2 innings, allowing three runs (two earned), three hits, two walks and had a strikeout. Jackson Rogers pitched .1 of an inning.
Lions 12, No. 7 Bobcats 2
(5 innings)
EMCC started quickly and never looked back in game two.
Martin had a two-run triple to highlight a three-run first inning and Coggins had a two-run single to spark a four-run second inning as the Lions took a 7-0 lead.
The Bobcats got a run in the third when Gabe Lacy (Gulfport) singled and Steven Sasser (South Jones) and Woody walked to load the bases. Hale's infield hit drove in Lacy.
Martin would hit a two-run home run in the fourth to put EMCC ahead, 9-1.
The Lions made it 12-1 in the fifth.
Jones got its final run in the bottom of the fifth when Mason reached on an error and Woody walked. Mason took third on a passed ball and would score on another passed ball.
Hale and Lacy singled for Jones' only hits.
Starter Brady Greene (Montgomery, Alabama) went 1.2 innings and got the loss. He allowed seven runs, eight hits, walked two and struck out one. Hunter Eldridge (West Lauderdale) went 2.1 innings, allowed two runs, two hits, walked one and struck out three. Kyle Earwood (Richton) pitched an inning, giving up three runs (none earned), two hits, one walk and recording three strikeouts.
Jaxen Forrester went the distance for EMCC and got the win. The Mississippi State commit allowed two runs (one earned), two hits, walked three and struck out eight.
Martin homered and tripled with Beech, Miller, Coggins and John Ross Briggs getting two singles each. Dillon Brown doubled and Austin Smith singled.
 
 
Friday's games
Ellisville
Community Bank Park
Game 1
Jones College 5, East Mississippi 2
East Mississippi (10-30, 7-20)            000 000 020 – 2 6 3
Jones College (35-8, 20-7)                  000 221 00x – 5 9 2
Austin Campbell, Reid Blakley (5), Jackson Rogers (8) and S.T. McMurrian. Coleton Ausbern, DJ Alexander (6), Chance Forbes (8), Payton Harris. WP-Ausbern (7-0). LP-Campbell. Sv-Harris (5). EMCC hitters:Tyler Miller 2 1B; Stuart Coggins 2B; Zarin Cole 1B; Josh Smith 1B; S.T. McMurrian 1B. JC hitters: Blake Johnson 2B, 2 1B; Bailee Hendon 2 1B; Trace Henry 1B; Gabe Lacy 1B; Jake Mason 1B; Chase Tilghman 1B. LOB:EM-7; JC-9. T:2:33.
 
Game 2
East Mississippi 12, Jones College 2
East Mississippi (11-30, 8-20)            340 23 – 12 12 1
Jones College (35-9, 20-8)                  001 01 – 2 2 0
Jaxen Forrester and Frederic Reynolds. Brady Greene, Hunter Eldridge (2), Kyle Earwood (4) and Steven Sasser. WP-Forrester. LP-Greene (5-3). EMCC hitters: Phillip Martin HR, 3B; Austin Beech 2 1B; Tyler Miller 2 1B; Stuart Coggins 2 1B; John Ross Briggs 2 1B; Dillon Brown 2B; Josh Smith 1B. JC hitters:Brandon Hale 1B; Gabe Lacy 1B. LOB:EM-4; JC-4. T:1:39.