POPLARVILLE, Miss. — Jones College beat Copiah-Lincoln 13-5 in seven innings Tuesday night at Pearl River’s Dub Herring Park. The No. 13-ranked Bobcats recorded their first Region 23 Tournament opening-round victory since 2016, the year they won their first national championship, according to team officials.
Jones (36-16) advances to face top-ranked Pearl River (45-9) on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m., weather permitting. The Bobcats fell behind 1-0 after one inning but scored five runs in the second to take control. Kelan Guidry tied the game with an RBI-single, and Sanders Ainsworth followed with a sacrifice fly, giving Jones the lead. Dylan Champagne hit a two-run double, and Talan Theriot added an RBI-single to make it 5-1.
Copiah-Lincoln (33-19) chipped away with unearned runs in the third and fifth innings to cut the deficit to 5-4, but Jones responded quickly. In the bottom of the fifth, Gage Reeves sparked a rally with an RBI-double, and Brayson Graham and Brayden Quick added RBI singles, stretching the lead to 8-4. The Bobcats added three runs in the sixth, with RBIs from Quick, Guidry, and Warren Hutchinson, creating separation. They finished the scoring with two more runs in the seventh.
Quick led the offensive effort with a career-high four hits, three RBIs, and also threw out his 20th runner of the season attempting to steal. Champagne and Reeves each had two hits and two RBIs, while Graham reached base four times and scored three runs. Colton Smith (9-3) pitched all seven innings, allowing six hits, two earned runs, and striking out five for his third consecutive quality start.
Jones finished with 15 hits and drew eight walks, maintaining consistent pressure throughout the game. Tickets for Wednesday’s matchup are available at prccathletics.com/tickets, and the game will be streamed at prccmedia.com/gold, according to school officials.
