ELLISVILLE — The Northwest Mississippi Community College baseball team’s postseason run ended Thursday night with a 10-6 loss to Jones College in the Region 23 Championship at Community Bank Park. The Rangers finished the season with a 34-21 record.
Jones scored early, posting five runs through the first three innings. An RBI single and a sacrifice fly in the second, along with a solo home run in the third, put the Bobcats ahead. Northwest responded with two runs in the second and third innings, including an RBI groundout from Preston Johnson and a single by Mason McMillin that scored Mason Gillentine, but it wasn’t enough to catch Jones.
Jones extended its lead in the fifth with a bases-clearing double and added two more runs in the sixth. Northwest answered with a sacrifice fly from Hallas Lawson and a home run by South McCoy to stay within reach. In the sixth, Jones scored two more on another double, but Northwest responded with a home run by John Whit Snopek, bringing in Preston Johnson to make it 10-6.
The game then turned into a pitching duel. Northwest used four relievers behind starter Tyce Powers, while Jones relied on Trevor Hodges and Canyon Reeves to close out the game. Neither team scored after the sixth inning, though Northwest had opportunities in the seventh and ninth with runners on base.
Head coach Mark Carson, in his 21st season, praised his team despite the loss. “You never set out to win a silver medal. You always try to win gold, and they came up one game short,” he said. Powers took the loss, finishing with a 5-3 record. Tyler Sullivan, Derrin Randle, and South McCoy pitched in relief, with McCoy completing a clean ninth inning.
