ELLISVILLE – Jones College is headed to the postseason for a 13th straight (full) season.
The Bobcats defeated Holmes 3-2 and 11-3 here Friday afternoon at Community Bank Park to clinch the No. 6 seed in the MACCC. The Bobcat sophomores were recognized for their accomplishments between games.
Jones will now play a best-of-three NJCAA Region 23 playoffs series at No. 5 seed Northeast May 5-7 in Booneville. Game times are 6 o'clock Thursday, 3 p.m. on Friday and 2 o'clock, if necessary, on Saturday.
The Bobcats end regular season play at 29-15 overall and 16-12 in conference play.
Holmes ends the year at 11-29 overall and 8-20 in league play.
Jones 3, Holmes 2
The Bobcats scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning without getting a base hit to stun the Bulldogs.
Trailing 2-0,
Colson Harris (West Jones) reached on an error to start the frame.
Josh Cary (Petal) and
Kade Keeton (Brandon) drew walks to load the bases with no outs.
Andrew Jones (Brandon),
Jakob Wax (Prairieville, La.) and
Drew Williamson (Vancleave) were all hit by pitches in consecutive at-bats to drive in three runs.
Holmes got the leadoff batter on in the top of the ninth, but
Drew Druckenmiller (Mobile, Ala.) retired the next three batters in order to end the game.
Blake Summerlin (Northwest Rankin) pitched 2.0 innings and got the win, improving to 2-0. He allowed two hits, walked two and struck out one. Druckenmiller pitched the final inning and got his third save. He allowed no hits and struck out three. Starter
Peyton Bell (Mobile, Ala.) went 6.0 innings, allowed two runs, seven hits, walked two and struck out five.
DeeJay Booth (Oak Grove) singled twice with
Murray Hutchinson (Madison Central), Cary, Jones and Wax adding singles.
Jake McKay pitched to four batters, did not retire one and took the loss, dropping to 2-3. He walked two and hit one. Starter Matthew Koch went 7.0 innings, giving up no runs, six hits, one walk and had two strikeouts.
Cole Drake doubled twice for the Bulldogs with Abbott Hankins and Evan Scott getting two singles each. Carson Buckner added a double and Reese Smith singled.
Jones 11, Holmes 3
Jones batted around in the first two innings and scored all 11 of its runs in those two frames.
In the first, Harris reached on an error, which allowed Booth to score. Cary followed with an RBI single and Williamson's ground-rule double to left drove in Harris. Wax then drilled a two-run double to left-center scoring Williamson and Cary to make it 5-0.
The Bulldogs scored three runs in the top of the second, but the Bobcats responded with six in the bottom half of the inning.
Hutchinson led off with a double, Booth was hit by a pitch and
Tyler Ducksworth (South Jones) singled to load the bases. Harris drew a bases-loaded walk to score Hutchinson and Cary's sacrifice fly to center drove in Booth. Williamson's double to right-center drove in Ducksworth to put Jones ahead, 8-3.
With the bases loaded, Wax walked and
Garrett Clendenning (Biloxi) was hit by a pitch to force in runs. Hutchinson's fielder's choice drove in
Billy Garrity (Sumrall) for the game's final run.
Starter
Andrew Nix (Stringer) went 5.0 innings and got the victory, improving to 4-3. He gave up three runs, five hits, walked three and struck out three.
Kace Matthews (West Jones) pitched an inning and got two strikeouts and
Sam Mansell (Northeast Jones) pitched the final inning and had two strikeouts.
Williamson doubled twice with Hutchinson getting a double and a single. Ducksworth and Cary each had two singles. Wax had a double and three RBIs with Booth and
McCrae Houston (Brandon) adding singles.
Brody Wilkins started, went 1.0 inning and got the loss, falling to 2-7. He allowed nine runs (six earned), seven hits and walked one.
Hayden Beall doubled and singled for the Bulldogs with Smith, Kenneth Moore and Koch adding singles.
