ELLISVILLE — Fourth-ranked Jones College rallied past Southwest Mississippi 6-3 in the first game before finishing the doubleheader with a 16-8 win Wednesday night at Community Bank Park. The Bobcats moved to 23-8 overall and 6-2 in the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference. Southwest fell to 20-14 and 4-6 in league play.
In the opener, Southwest scored three runs in the first inning on RBI singles from Justin Domia and Hayes Loper, along with a wild pitch. Jones responded immediately, with Kelan Guidry scoring on a fielder’s choice in the bottom of the first. The Bobcats chipped away in the second, with Dakota Smith driving in a run on an RBI single and Chase Russell doubling to tie the game at 3-3.
Russell’s solo homer in the fourth gave Jones its first lead of the night at 4-3. The Bobcats added runs in the seventh and eighth innings on Southwest errors, extending the lead to 6-3. Russell led Jones offensively, going 3-for-5 with a double, home run and two RBIs. Brayden Quick added two hits and an RBI. Jones finished with nine hits and drew seven walks. On the mound, Colton Smith improved to 8-1 after working eight innings, allowing three runs and 18 ground-ball outs. Caden Freeman closed the game in the ninth for his third save of the year.
In the second game, Jones scored five runs in the first inning, aided by Southwest errors and wild pitches. Russell singled and Dylan Champagne added an RBI hit, helping build a 5-0 lead. The Bobcats added two more runs in the second inning and another in the third to make it 8-0. Southwest responded in the fourth with a three-run homer from Tristain Haynes, but Jones answered with a two-run double from Smith and a two-run single from Guidry, pushing the lead to 12-3.
The game remained competitive as Southwest scored five runs in the fifth and sixth innings, highlighted by a homer from J.D. Hidalgo. Every time Southwest threatened, Jones responded. The Bobcats added two insurance runs in the sixth, including a two-run double from Sanders Ainsworth, to make it 16-8. Champagne led the offense with three hits, three runs scored and an RBI. Smith drove in three runs on two hits, and Guidry added two RBIs. Jones capitalized on five Southwest errors and five wild pitches. Brayson Graham earned the win, striking out eight over four innings despite five walks. The Jones bullpen held off Southwest’s late rally to secure the victory.
