DECATUR – Jones pitching issued 17 combined free passes in dropping a pair of games to sixth-ranked Kirkwood, 7-3, and Wallace State, 8-5, at Clark-Gay Baseball Complex Friday.

The Bobcats fell to 3-4 on the young season and will return to Decatur next Tuesday for two more games against Northwest and East Central. 

Kirkwood 7, Jones 3

The Eagles scored in every inning but the seventh and were led by Joe Simpson's three hits to defeat Jones in the opening game of the day.

A bases-loaded walk plated Kirkwood's first run and sac fly made it 2-0 after two.

Jones got on the board in the fourth, using a leadoff single from Beau Bryans and scoring him on Jakob Wax's fielder's choice. 

Owen Ross hit a two-run homer in the fifth and Simpson had a solo shot in the sixth.

Five Bobcats combined for their five hits.

Brice Deaton drew the start and was hit with the loss after allowing three runs on two hits with five walks and four strikeouts over two innings. Tate Duncan, Francisco Elvira and Connor Brooks threw the final five innings. 

Wallace State 8, Jones 5

Jones held Wallace State to four hits, but nine walks, two errors and timely passed balls allowed the Lions to plate five runs in the fifth to pull away.

Trailing 3-0 after the first, a two-out Bobcat rally in the second allowed them to tie it up at 3-3. Wax hit a two-run homer after a Tristan Pearson walk and Luke Lycette added an RBI-triple to score Marquette Gibson.

Scoreless over the third and fourth, the Lions took advantage of Bobcat miscues in the fifth to plate five runs -- four of them unearned.

Wallace State had just two hits in the inning, but coupled with two errors and a passed ball, went up 8-3. 

A Peyton Bell RBI-single and Josh Cary groundout got Jones within 8-5 in the sixth.

The Bobcats got the tying run to the plate in the seventh but weren't able to score.

Bell and Gibson combined for four of Jones' six hits. 

Colby Tubre recorded one out over six batters faced in the first. Charlee Strickland went 3.2 frames, allowing one earned run on two hits with four strikeouts and two walks.