POPLARVILLE – Fifth-ranked Jones County Junior College scored four runs in the first inning and pitcher Andrew Pierce held Pearl River scoreless until the seventh as the Bobcats beat the Wildcats 6-2 here on a blustery Saturday afternoon at Wildcat Field in game one of a doubleheader.
In game two, Buck Bernard tossed a four-hit shutout to lead the Wildcats to a 4-0 victory.
The Bobcats are now 19-3 overall and 2-2 in South Division play. Pearl River is 11-14 overall and 2-2 in the division.
JCJC continues league play with a noon doubleheader on Tuesday vs. Co-Lin Community College at Jackson’s Smith-Wills Stadium. Pearl River hosts Gulf Coast on Wednesday.
Bobcats 6, Wildcats 2
JCJC struck quickly and then turned to Pierce to keep the Wildcats in check.
Pierce, the NJCAA Division II Pitcher of the Week for the week of March 1-7, improved to 5-0 with the victory. He allowed two runs on five hits through 6 1/3 innings, with three strikeouts and four walks.
Bobcat leadoff batter Ladd Rhodes walked, stole second and then scored on Chris Lofton’s single in the top of the first. Zachary Robertson followed with a single to right-center and Tyler Gardner drew a walk to load the bases.
Nick Ray then drilled a two-run single to right to give Jones a 3-0 lead. Brock Landry’s sacrifice fly to center drove in Gardner and gave the Bobcats a 4-0 advantage.
JCJC added a run to the lead in the second when Graham Odom led off with a single, went to second on Rhodes’ ground out and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Lofton’s single to center brought Odom home.
The Bobcats went up 6-0 in the fifth when Ray was hit by a pitch and later scored on Ryan Roberts’ sacrifice fly to right.
The Wildcats got their two runs in the bottom of the seventh when B.J. Smith walked and Luke Rowan doubled into the leftfield corner. Jake Hawkins then doubled to right to score both runners.
Ryan Waters entered in relief of Pierce and got the final two outs of the game on a ground out and a strikeout.
Lofton had two singles to pace Jones, while Ray, Robertson, Odom, Rhodes and Landry added singles.
Taylor Martin started and took the loss for Pearl River. He went 1.1 innings, allowed five runs, five hits and fanned one. Beau Underwood went the final 5.2 innings and gave up one run on two hits and struck out four.
Hawkins and Rowan each doubled for the Wildcats, while Zach Farrar, Matt Linton and Matthew Magee added singles.
Wildcats 4, Bobcats 0
Bernard was the story as he struck out three and retired ten Bobcats in a row at one point.
PRCC scored twice in the bottom of the first when Bryn Whitehead reached on an error with one out and took second on a ground out. Magee then singled him home and stole second. Temple Harvey’s singled scored Magee to make it 2-0.
It stayed that way until the bottom of the sixth when Ashley Graeter led off with a single. He was balked to second and Magee’s infield hit put runners on first and third.
After Harvey walked to load the bases, Farrar followed with a ground ball single passed a drawn-in infield to score two runs and give the Wildcats a 4-0 lead.
Starter Colton Ales pitched effectively for Jones after the first inning. He went five-plus innings, gave up three runs (one earned), four hits and struck out two. Garrett Moore went the final inning for the Bobcats and gave up one run and two hits.
Lofton had two singles for JCJC, while Odom and Ray had one single each.
Magee had two singles for the Wildcats, while Harvey, Cody Bielstein, Graeter and Farrar had one single each.
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Photo/Shawn Wansley, JCJC Sports Information
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