ELLISVILLE – No. 13 Jones College could not slow down third-ranked Pearl River here Wednesday at Community Bank Park.
The Wildcats scored 12 runs over a three-inning span and beat the Bobcats, 16-8, in game one. In game two, PRCC broke open a close game with a five-run seventh inning and posted a 9-2 decision.
Jones, 35-13 overall and 17-9 in the MACCC, ends the regular season with a 2 p.m. Saturday doubleheader at Itawamba.
The Bobcats are in fourth place in the conference and are in line to host a best-of-three Region 23 playoff series May 3-5 if they can finish fifth or better in the standings.
Pearl River, 45-7 and 22-2, can win the conference outright with a win at home on Saturday vs. Northwest.
Pearl River 16, Jones 8
Trailing 3-0 going into the bottom of the fourth, the Bobcats came alive with a two-out rally.
Evan Rogers (Northwest Rankin) was at first with a single when
Cole Manuel (Clinton) was hit by a pitch.
Hays Carley (Columbia Academy) followed with an RBI single and
Braden Smith's (Brandon) singled loaded the bases.
Austin Mills (Lafayette, Louisiana) doubled to left to drive in two runs and
Brady Thomas (Brandon) drove in two more with an infield single to give the Bobcats a 5-3 lead.
But Pearl River responded with six runs in the fifth, three in the sixth and three more in the top of the seventh to take a 15-5 lead.
The Bobcats had the bases loaded with no outs in the bottom of the seventh and hit into a double play to score a run and keep the game alive. A Gatlin Rogers' (Madison Central) sacrifice fly and another Rogers single scored runs in the bottom of the ninth.
Rogers had three singles with Carley and Mills each getting a double and a single.
Wade Fulton (Brandon) and
Marquette Gibson (D'Iberville) added singles.
Starter
Brice Deaton (Pontotoc) went 4.1 innings and took the loss, falling to 1-2.
Brandon Rhodes (St. Stanislaus),
Charlee Strickland (Northeast Jones),
Garrett Pound (Pontotoc) and
Jake Shelby (Enterprise) all pitched for the Bobcats.
Pearl River 9, Jones 2
The Wildcats led 2-0 going into the bottom of the third when Fulton's bunt single scored Mills to make it 2-1.
Carley's leadoff home run in the bottom of the sixth cut the Wildcat lead to 4-2.
Josh King (DeSoto Central), Mills and Fulton reached base on walks to load the bases with two outs. Sanders then lined to first to end the threat.
Pearl River sent nine batters to the plate and scored five runs on five hits to increase the lead to seven runs.
Carley homered and singled, Fulton singled twice and Manuel doubled for the Bobcats.
Starter
Trent Hillen (Morgan City, Louisiana) went 6.0 innings and took the loss to fall to 6-2. He allowed four runs, seven hits, walked three and struck out three. Thomas pitched the final inning.
