ELLISVILLE – Seventh-ranked Jones College responded in a big way from a loss.
 
The Bobcats crushed Southwest 21-1 in game two here Wednesday evening at Community Bank Park. In the opener, the Bears got a grand slam in the top of the ninth inning to surprise Jones, 9-8.
 
Jones is now 30-6 overall and 12-2 in the MACCC. The Bobcats host No. 17 Northwest in a 2 p.m. Saturday twinbill.
 
Southwest is now 18-25 overall and 6-10 in conference play. The Bears travel to Holmes on Saturday.
 
Southwest 9, Jones 8
 
The Bobcats appeared to be in control, leading 7-2 entering the top of the seventh inning.
 
But Southwest's Cody Presley smacked a three-run home run to cut the lead to 7-5.
 
A Gatlin Sanders' (Madison Central) sacrifice fly scored Austin Mills (Lafayette, Louisiana) in the bottom of the eighth to give Jones an 8-5 lead.
 
But in the top of the ninth after a walk, single and a walk to start the inning, Colson Thompson homered over the left field wall to put the Bears ahead by a run.
 
In the bottom of the ninth, pinch hitter Gavin Brassfield (DeSoto Central) led off with a walk and was replaced by pinch runner Randall Futral (Starkville Academy). After a fly out, Futral took second on a wild pitch. After a strikeout, Futral took third on another wild pitch, but another strikeout ended the game.
 
Colton Hegwood (Brandon) doubled, singled twice and drove in three runs for Jones. Sanders had two singles and two RBIs and Mills added two singles. Brady Thomas (Brandon), Wade Fulton (Brandon) and Hays Carley (Columbia Academy) added singles.
 
Starter Beau Bryans (Madison Central) went 5.0 innings, giving up two run, two hits and posting 10 strikeouts. Brice Deaton (Pontotoc) tossed 3.0 innings, allowed three runs on five hits and had two strikeouts. Thomas pitched the final inning and took the loss, falling to 0-2.
 
Thompson homered, singled twice and had six RBIs for the Bears. Marcus Jackson doubled, singled and scored three runs and Presley had a three-run homer. 
 
Davis Knight pitched an inning in relief and got the win to improve to 3-0. Myles Green pitched the final inning and recorded his fourth save.
 
Jones 21, Southwest 1
 
Thomas started game two with a home run over the right field wall.
 
The Bobcats scored six runs in the third, capped by a two-run Josh King (DeSoto Central) single, to take a 7-0 lead. Jones added three in the fourth and one in the fifth and took an 11-1 lead into the bottom of the sixth.
 
Jones scored 10 runs in the sixth, which was punctuated by a Carley grand slam.
 
Fulton had a double, three singles, three runs scored and two RBIs. Carley ended the game with six RBIs. Thomas homered, singled and scored four runs with Mills adding a pair of singles. Evan Rogers (Northwest Rankin) singled and had four RBIs. King singled and had three RBIs with Sanders, Hegwood and Cole Manuel (Clinton) adding singles. 
 
Starter Trent Hillen (Morgan City, Louisiana) went 5.0 innings and got the win, upping his record to 6-0. The Northwestern State signee allowed one run, three hits and struck out six. Brandon Rhodes (St. Stanislaus) pitched an inning and got a strikeout. Connor Brooks (Northwest Rankin) tossed the final inning and had two strikeouts.
 
Nolan Walther doubled and singled for the Bears.
 
Starter Peyton Purdue pitched the first two innings and got the loss.