TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Top-ranked Jones County broke a 2-2 tie with three runs in the eighth inning and defeated Shelton St. (Alabama) 5-2 in Game 2 of a doubleheader here Tuesday afternoon.
The Bucs rallied for a 5-4 victory in game one.
JCJC is now 9-1 on the season and will host Illinois Central in a 3 p.m. Friday doubleheader.
Shelton St., 5-8, hosts Northwest Florida on Friday.
Bucs 5, Bobcats 4
JCJC held a 4-3 lead going into the bottom of the seventh inning, but the Bucs got a pair of singles and took advantage of a pair of errors to score twice and take the lead.
The Bobcats got a leadoff single in the eighth, but could not score and were retired in order in the top of the ninth.
Trace Henry (Mooreville), Luther Woullard (D’Iberville) and Stephen Matthews (Tupelo) each doubled and singled for the Bobcats with Miguel Morgan (South Jones) adding a double.
Starter Will Freeman (Semmes, Alabama) went six innings, allowed three runs, seven hits, walked two and struck out seven. Grayson Livingston (Wayne Academy) pitched an inning, allowed two runs (none earned), two hits, walked one and was charged with the loss. Bryce Fagan (Petal) pitched the final inning and retired all three batters he faced.
Shelton St. starter Trent Rider went 6.1 innings, allowed four runs (two earned), six hits, walked none and struck out four. Austin Kitterman pitched the final 2.2 innings, allowed no runs, one hit, walked none, struck out three and got the win.
Trevor Losada, Alan Smith, Cyle Moore and Ethan Holsemback had two singles each for the Bucs and Koy Chapman had one single.
JCJC led 1-0 after one inning and trailed 3-1 after three. It was tied 3-3 after four and the Bobcats led 4-3 after five.
Bobcats 5, Bucs 2
(8 innings)
With the game tied 2-2, Luke Hudson (Presbyterian Christian School) led off the top of the eighth with a double and went to third on a passed ball. Henry reached on an error and Woullard walked to load the bases.
Matthews then hit a sacrifice fly to right to score pinch-runner Jacob Vick (East Central) and give Jones a 3-2 lead. Hudson Harris (West Jones) followed with an RBI single and Jake Mason (West Lauderdale) then hit an RBI double.
Luke McKenzie (Columbia Academy) gave up a leadoff single in the bottom of the eighth, but retired the next three batters to earn the save.
Payton Harris (Oak Grove) came on in the fifth inning, tossed 2.2 innings of relief and got the win. He struck out four, walked one and allowed one hit. Starter Cooper Brune (Ocean Springs) went 4.1 innings, allowed two runs (none earned), one hit, walked three and struck out two.
Hudson and Mason each doubled and singled for the Bobcats with Harris getting two singles. Brandon Hale (Pontotoc) added a single.
Smith, Chapman and Sage Smelley each singled for the Bucs.
Brett Jones, the fourth and final pitcher for the Bucs, took the loss. He went two innings and gave up three runs (two earned), three hits, walked one and struck out one.
The Bobcats led 1-0 after one and 2-0 after four. Shelton St. tied it with two runs in the fifth.
