DECATUR – Nearing the midway point of the conference slate, every win in league play is important. Especially on the road.
Jones bounced back from a 4-2 opening game loss with an offensive outburst in a 14-5 win in game two to split a pair at No. 10 East Central.
It was just the fourth home loss for the Warriors this season in 19 tries.
Murray Hutchinson and
DeeJay Booth finished with three hits apiece to pace six Bobcats with multiple hits in the game two win.
East Central 4, Jones 2
A solo home run from
Billy Garrity in the sixth and RBI-single from Hutchinson in the ninth was all the offense Jones could muster up.
EC jumped on top 2-0 after an inning after a pair of RBI-singles from Coleton Smith and J.T. Vance.
Garrity's solo blast in the sixth cut the lead in half momentarily until Kade Turnage responded with a solo shot in the bottom half to make it 3-1.
Jones tried to rally in the ninth and got the go-ahead runs on base thanks to two walks and a hit-by-pitch.
Hutchinson's RBI-single scored pinch runner
Tristan Lee before Booth flied out to end the threat with the bases loaded.
Dalton Tanner scattered eight hits, four runs, four walks and four strikeouts in falling to 1-3 on the year.
Baylor Ormes and
Blake Summerlin kept EC off the board the final three innings.
Jones 14, East Central 5
The Bobcat bats came alive to the tune of a season-high 14 runs on 13 hits as Jones pulled away in the fourth for a big win in the nightcap.
The teams combined for 12 runs over the first two innings as Jones led 7-5.
Warrior miscues, five in the game, allowed Jones to create some separation in the fourth. Jones plated four runs on no hits and two Warrior errors to take a 12-5 lead.
Hutchinson tripled to lead off the seventh and scored on Booth's RBI-single. Booth later scored on
Tyler Ducksworth's RBI-single to make the final 14-5.
Five Bobcats finished with multiple hits, led by Booth's three.
Drew Williamson,
Josh Cary,
Luke Lycette and Hutchinson each had two.
Kace Matthews got his first collegiate win in relief, going 4.1 strong innings allowed two hits and no runs with five strikeouts.
Jones, now 18-10 overall, 5-7 in the MACCC, hosts Northwest on Saturday at The Bank.