ELLISVILLE – The 10th-ranked Jones College Bobcats took two games over Meridian here Wednesday afternoon at Community Bank Park.
Jones scored 11 runs in the final two innings and run-ruled the Eagles 13-3 in eight innings in game one. In game two,
Andrew Marble tied a career-high with nine strikeouts in 5.2 innings and the Bobcats won an 11-5 decision.
It was a much-needed sweep after Jones dropped a pair of heartbreakers at Northeast over the weekend.
Jones is now 21-8 overall and 7-3 in the MACCC. The Bobcats will host East Mississippi in a 2 p.m. doubleheader on Friday.
Meridian drops to 19-13 and 6-4.
Jones 13, Meridian 3 (8 inn.)
The Eagles took a 2-0 lead in the first inning and led 3-1 after five.
The Bobcats got a run in the sixth and took a 5-3 lead in the seventh.
TJ Dunsford (Grand Bay, Ala.) and
Chase Russell (Madison Central) led off the seventh with singles and
Cole Manuel (Clinton) was hit by a pitch for a team-leading 18th time this season to load the bases with no outs.
Braden Smith (Brandon) followed with an RBI single to left to tie it. After a fielder's choice, a wild pitch scored Manuel to give Jones a 4-3 lead.
Brice Ainsworth's (Brandon) ground out drove in
Braden Smith to make it 5-3.
The Bobcats then sent 10 batters to the plate in the eighth to walk it off. Ainsworth had a two-run single and two Meridian errors led to three unearned runs to end it. Dunsford's single to left scored
Talan Theriot (Luling, La.) with the final run.
Brycen Smith (Sumrall) tossed the final 1.2 innings and got the win to remain unbeaten at 4-0. He allowed no runs, one hit and struck out two. Starter
Josh Lee (Gulfport) went 6.1 innings, allowed three runs, eight hits, walked three and struck out five.
Dunsford double and singled twice and Russell had three singles to lead the 15-hit, Bobcat offense. Ainsworth,
Braden Smith and
Gage Reeves (George County) each had two singles. Theriot, Manuel and
Evan Rogers (Northwest Rankin) added singles.
Connor Gehr tripled and singled and Brennon Wright doubled and singled to lead Meridian.
Reliver Vaiden Ellis entered in the sixth inning, pitched .2 innings and got the loss. He allowed three runs, four hits, walked one and struck out one. Starter Cole Blackwell went 5.1 innings, allowed two runs, four hits, walked one and struck out six.
Jones 11, Meridian 5
After allowing a two-run home run by Brett Busbea in the second, Marble (East Central) did not allow any more runs until the sixth.
He ended up going 5.1 innings, giving up four runs, three hits, four walks and nine strikeouts to improve to 2-0.
Trailing 2-0, Jones got a leadoff walk from Manuel in the bottom of the second and
Braden Smith followed with a two-run home run to left to tie it up at 2-2.
In the third, Theriot walked and Dunsford was hit by a pitch. Theriot would score on a wild pitch to give the Bobcats the lead and Russell followed with a two-run homer to right to put Jones ahead 5-2.
Ainsworth walked to start the fourth and would score when
Dominick Regira's (Gonzales, La.) sacrifice bunt was thrown away. A Reeves' bunt would score Regira and make it 7-2.
The Bobcats made it 11-2 in the fifth with a two-run double by Rogers being the key hit. Regira had an RBI double in the inning and would later score on an error.
Coleman Capaci (Kenner, La.) and
Brady Smith (Florence) each pitched .1 of an inning and
Drew Lambert (MRA) got the final two outs of the game.
Braden Smith and Russell each homered with Regira, Reeves and Rogers adding doubles. Theriot and Manuel had singles.
Peyton Fowler went the first 3.0 innings and took the loss for the Eagles. He allowed seven runs (five earned), only two hits, walked four, hit two and struck out three.
Busbea homered and doubled, Chris Fox doubled and singled and Ethan Mallett double to account for all of the Eagle hits.
