ELLISVILLE – Fourth-ranked Jones College shook off an early punch and finished strong Wednesday night, rallying past Southwest 6–3 in Game 1 before completing a doubleheader sweep at Community Bank Park with a 16-8 Game 2 win.
Jones improved to 23-8 overall, 6-2 in the MACCC, and dropped Southwest to 20-14, 4-6.
The Bobcats travel to Holmes March 28 and Mississippi Gulf Coast March 31.
Jones 6, Southwest 3
Southwest came out swinging in the opener, plating three runs in the first inning behind RBI swings from Justin Domia and Hayes Loper, plus a wild pitch that made it 3–0 before Jones had settled in.
But the Bobcats answered immediately.
Kelan Guidry scored on a fielder's choice in the bottom of the first, then Jones chipped away in the second inning.
Dakota Smith delivered an RBI-single to cut the deficit to one, and
Chase Russell followed with a run-scoring double to even things at 3–3.
Russell struck again in the fourth, launching a 406' solo home run to center field to give Jones its first lead of the night at 4–3. The Bobcats added insurance late, capitalizing on a Southwest error in the seventh and another miscue in the eighth to stretch the lead to 6–3.
Russell paced the offense, going 3-for-5 with a double, home run, and two RBIs, while
Brayden Quick added two hits and an RBI. Jones finished with nine hits and showed patience at the plate, drawing seven walks.
On the mound,
Colton Smith improved to 8–1 with a steady outing, working eight innings and allowing three runs while inducing 18 ground-ball outs.
Caden Freeman closed the door in the ninth to secure his third save of the year and 12th of his career.
Southwest managed just five hits after its explosive first inning, with Drew Swan collecting two of them.
Jones 16, Southwest 8
Jones erupted for 16 runs to close out a two-game sweep, sending 10 men to the plate and scoring five runs in the first inning.
Russell got things started with an RBI-single,
Dylan Champagne followed with a run-scoring hit, and the Bobcats took advantage of multiple Southwest miscues and a wild pitch to build a quick 5–0 lead.
Gage Reeves capped the inning with an RBI-double.
Jones added two more runs in the second—again aided by errors and a wild pitch—before Smith's RBI-single in the third stretched the lead to 8–0.
Southwest showed life in the fourth when Tristain Haynes blasted a three-run homer to right, but Jones answered immediately. Smith delivered a two-run double later in the inning, and Guidry followed with a two-run single to push the lead to 12–3.
The game turned into a back-and-forth slugfest from there.
Southwest chipped away with five runs across the fifth and sixth innings, highlighted by a solo homer from J.D. Hidalgo and additional run-scoring plays from Hayes Loper, Luke Simmons, and Landon French to cut the deficit to 14–8.
But every time Southwest threatened, Jones had an answer.
The Bobcats added two more in the sixth, including a two-run double from
Sanders Ainsworth to put the game out of reach at 16–8.
Champagne led the offensive explosion, going 3-for-5 with three runs scored and an RBI, while Smith drove in three runs on two hits. Guidry added two RBIs, and Jones piled up 14 hits while capitalizing on five Southwest errors and five wild pitches.
Brayson Graham earned the win, striking out eight over four innings despite working around five walks. The Jones bullpen weathered a brief mid-game surge from Southwest before settling in to close it out.
