A four-run fifth inning propelled the Southwest Mississippi Community College baseball team to a 4-3 win in the finale, and a split of their MACJC doubleheader, against the visiting Mississippi Gulf Coast Bulldogs Thursday night. The teams waited through a nearly two-hour rain delay in the opener before the Bulldogs prevailed 6-2.
With the split, the Bears moved to 18-14 on the season and 7-9 in the MACJC. The Bulldogs ended the night 18-14 overall, 8-8.
The Bears picked up all of their runs in Game 2 in the bottom of the fifth. A single up the middle by L.D. Coney allowed Dylan Spiers and Jarvis Warner to cross the plate. Spiers was on base with the first of his two hits in the game while Warner had picked up his second hit. A one-out single by Kaleb Clarke allowed Coney to score and a Darian Tunstall sacrifice fly allowed John Marcus McDowell, running for Clarke, to reach home.
Two doubles and two singles resulted in three runs for the Bulldogs, and a 4-3 score, in the top of the seventh. But, the tying run was left on base as Spiers, on the mound in relief, induced a ground out to end the game.
Braden Smith pitched 62⁄3 innings to get the win for the Bears. He surrendered three runs on nine hits and a pair of walks while striking out seven batters. Spiers allowed one hit in earning the save. Duncan Cornfoot had a double for the Bears.
The Bears trailed 1-0 in the opener before tying the game in the bottom of the first. Coney led off with a double to left field, the first of his two hits in the game, and scored on the first of three Steven Williams hits.
Trailing 2-1, the Bears tied the game in their half of the third when Brady Anderson was hit by a pitch and scored on a Ross Buckley double to center.
The Bulldogs then regained the lead for good in the top of the fourth, using two doubles, two errors and a single to score their final four runs.
Jacob Buchanan took the loss on the mound, allowing six runs — two earned — on eight hits. He walked three batters and also struck out three.
Spiers had two singles in the game for the Bears while Walt Aldridge, Cornfoot and Tanner Whittington each had a single.
The Bears return to the diamond Saturday afternoon in Fulton when they visit the Itawamba Indians. Game 1 of the MACJC doubleheader is set for a 2 p.m. start.
