POPLARVILLE – Behind a 15-hit attack and a complete game on the mound from
Colton Smith, No. 13 Jones College rolled past No. 24 Copiah-Lincoln 13-5 in seven innings at Pearl River's Dub Herring Park Tuesday night.
It marked the program's first Region 23 Tournament opening-round win since 2016 — the same season the Bobcats went on to win their first national championship.
Jones (36-16) advances to face top-ranked Pearl River (45-9) on Wednesday with a 4 p.m. start, weather permitting.
After falling behind 1-0 after one Tuesday night, the Bobcats erupted for five runs in the second to jump on top for good.
Kelan Guidry tied the game with an RBI-single before
Sanders Ainsworth followed with a sacrifice fly to give Jones the lead.
Dylan Champagne delivered the big blow with a two-run double to the gap and
Talan Theriot capped the inning with an RBI-single to make it 5-1.
Copiah-Lincoln (33-19) chipped away with two unearned runs in the third and another in the fifth to pull within 5-4, but Jones never let the momentum slip.
The Bobcats responded immediately in the bottom of the fifth with three more runs.
Gage Reeves sparked the rally with an RBI-double,
Brayson Graham added an RBI-single and
Brayden Quick drove in another to stretch the lead to 8-4.
A three-run sixth inning, fueled by RBIs from Quick, Guidry and
Warren Hutchinson, created separation, and the Bobcats tacked on two more in the seventh for a walk-off win.
Quick led the offensive surge with a career-best 4-for-5 night and three RBIs and also threw out his 20th runner of the season attempting to steal. Champagne and Reeves each added two hits and two RBIs. Graham reached base four times and scored three runs.
Smith (9-3) went the distance with his third consecutive quality start, allowing six hits and two earned runs while striking out five.
The Bobcats finished with 15 hits and drew eight walks, consistently applying pressure throughout the night.
Tickets for Wednesday night's game can be purchased at
prccathletics.com/tickets and the game will be streamed at
prccmedia.com/gold.
