BREWTON, Ala. – Bobcat pitching struck out 28 and allowed four earned runs in 8-1 and 8-4 wins at Coastal Alabama-North to open the 2026 baseball season Wednesday.

Chase Russell and Brayson Graham each homered and Colton Smith and Trevor Hodges punched out a combined 13 to power No. 14 Jones to a game one win. 

Sanders Ainsworth was hit by a pitch, advanced to second on a balk, third on a passed ball and scored Jones' first run on a balk in the second.

Russell homered in the fourth to make it 2-0 and Graham followed three batters later to make it 4-0 Cats.

Tucker Carlson's solo shot in the bottom of the fifth was the lone Coyote run.

Dylan Champagne and Ainsworth added two-run singles in the seventh to push the final tally to 8-1.

Smith got the win in 3.2 innings of scheduled work, striking out seven. Hodges threw the final 3.1 to get his first collegiate save.

TJ Hauser took the loss for Coastal in four innings, allowing four runs on three hits.

Trailing 3-0 into the sixth, a wrong infield fly call almost cost Jones a shot at a come-from-behind win, but the Bobcats scored a run on the play and Talan Theriot delivered a two-run single to tie it at 3-3.

A leadoff walk issued to Champagne in the top of the seventh helped Jones score five runs in the inning, two coming on bases-loaded walks, as the Cats pushed the lead to 8-3.

The Coyotes loaded the bases in their half of the seventh before Russell came in from the outfield and struck out three of the final four batters for the save. Caden Freeman got the win in two relief innings.

Jones hosts third-ranked East Central in a doubleheader in the home-opener Monday, Feb. 2 at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $8 online at jcbobcats.com/tickets or $10 cash only at the door. The game will stream on jcbobcats.com/watch.