ELLISVILLE – A walk-off balk in the bottom of the ninth helped No. 12 Jones win the opening game of a chilly Saturday afternoon doubleheader before visiting Gulf Coast responded with a 2-0 win in the nightcap. 

Jones moved to 4-4 with the split, while MGCCC moved to 2-4. The Bobcats have won nine of the last 11 overall against the Bulldogs.

The Bobcats had a four-game winning streak snapped in the game two loss despite a fantastic outing from Wyatt Blalock. 

Game 1 – Jones 9, Gulf Coast 8

Jones capitalized off eight Bulldog errors in the opening game – six in the first two innings – and used a hit-by-pitch, walk, wild pitch and a balk in the bottom of the ninth to walk-off game one.

The Bobcats jumped out to a 4-0 lead after two on the aforementioned six errors, with Murray Hutchinson's first of three infield hits plating Hunter LeBlanc.

Hunter French's RBI-double to left scored Hutchinson to make it 5-1 Bobcats in the fourth before Gulf Coast rallied to take its first lead 6-5 after five.

Three walks in addition to an RBI-single from Alex McWhorter and two-run single from Ethan Coleman capped a five-run fifth.

JC pulled back ahead 8-6 in the sixth on French's RBI-single and Preston Ratliff's RBI-triple off the wall in center.

Two wild pitches and a passed ball led to two runs in the seventh as Gulf Coast rallied to tie it at 8-8. 

A one-out hit-by-pitch drawn by Ratliff, walk, wild pitch, another walk and a balk helped Ratliff score for the game-winner in the ninth.

Hutchinson was 3-for-4 with three runs scored to lead a 10-hit attack. Garrett Langrell (1-0) tossed the final two innings in relief of Kade Keeton to get the win.

Game 2 – Gulf Coast 2, Jones 0

In a great pitcher's duel in the nightcap, Wyatt Blalock was the hard-luck loser, scattering eight hits, one earned run and five strikeouts in 6.2 strong innings. Drake Henderson struck out seven for MGCCC and didn't allow a run in six innings for the win.

Scoreless into the sixth, Gulf Coast's Brendan McCauley led off with a bunt single, advanced to second on a groundout, to third on a passed ball and scored off a wild pitch to plate the eventual winning run. 

Canaan Ray's two-out, RBI-double made it 2-0 Bulldogs in the seventh. 

Jones brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the seventh off reliever Alex McWhorter after a leadoff error, but a pop up and double play ended the game.

The Bobcats were held to four singles in the nightcap from Hutchinson, Jesse Johnson, Tyler Ducksworth and Kade Shannon.

Jones will host 7th-ranked and unbeaten Pearl River on Wednesday, Feb. 17 at 2 p.m.