JACKSON – The Jones County Junior College Bobcats have moved one step closer to a regional tournament appearance.

Zach Toney won his tenth game of the season and Charlie Hillman had three hits to lead the Bobcats to a 6-4 victory over the Northeast Mississippi Community College Tigers here at Smith-Wills Stadium on Monday afternoon. That gives the Bobcats a 2-0 series win in the opening round of the MACJC playoffs.

The victory moves the Bobcats into the MACJC State Tournament, which will be played at Hinds Community College. JCJC faces Holmes Community College at 3 p.m. on Thursday, while the host Eagles meet Itawamba Community College at 6 p.m. Games are scheduled for noon, 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Friday. The double elimination tournament concludes with the championship game at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

A team just has to win one game in the MACJC Tournament to advance to the Region 23 Tournament on May 14-16 at LSU-Eunice.

The Bobcats improve to 36-14, while the Tigers end the year at 33-14.

JCJC got a triple, two singles and two RBIs from Hillman, a Perry Central sophomore. Raleigh freshman Chris Lofton tripled twice and drove in two runs. Oak Grove freshman Zachary Robertson doubled, singled and scored twice. West Jones freshman Tyler Gardner had a double, while Southeast Lauderdale sophomore Tyler McMullen, Pascagoula freshman Adam Burnett and Kenner, La.., sophomore Dustin Gilmore had singles.

On the mound, Toney improved to 10-1 as he started and went five innings. The D’Iberville redshirt freshman lefthander allowed one earned run, four hits, walked one and struck out six. Cory Williams, a Northeast Jones freshman, followed with 2 1/3 innings, giving up three runs (two earned), four hits, two walks and two strikeouts. Bryce Penny, a Biloxi, then went 1 1/3 innings, gave up no runs, one hit, one walk and one strikeout. McMullen was brought in and got the final out to record his first save of the season.

The Bobcats never trailed, but they could never put the scrappy Tigers away.

JCJC got off to its usual quick start, scoring two runs in the top of the first inning. Robertson led off with a double to right and Lofton followed with a triple to right. McMullen’s sacrifce fly to right scored Lofton.

Jones made it 3-0 in the third when McMullen singled with two outs to center. Hillman then lofted a deep drive to dead center, which hit off of the top of the wall. McMullen scored from first on the Hillman triple.

The Tigers got on the board in the bottom of the third when Nick McGregor singled, was balked to second, took third on a ground out and scored on Seth Kennedy’s single.

JCJC got the run back in the fifth to go up 4-1. Gardner doubled to left and then stole third. After a walk to McMullen, Hillman’s sacrifice fly to center drove in Gardner.

NEMCC got a run in the sixth when, with one out, Jake Mills singled to center and McGregor walked. Michael Collie’s single to left-center scored Mills. The Tigers had the bases loaded with one out, but Williams got a strikeout and a flyout to end the threat.

The Tigers pulled within 4-3 in the seventh when Brandon Farley doubled to right-center, took third on a wild pitch and scored on Mills’ triple to left. But Williams got a strikeout to end the inning.

Jones picked up two crucial runs in the eighth. Gilmore led off the inning by being hit by a pitch and took second on a passed ball. Brock Landry sacrificed him to third and Burnett’s squeeze bunt scored Gilmore. Robertson then singled to right and Lofton drove him home with his second triple of the day to make it 6-3.

NEMCC added a run in the eighth when Neal Tice was hit by a pitch and Kennedy reached on an infield hit. Phillip Chapman then reached on a fielder’s choice and Tice came home on an error.

The Tigers threatened in the ninth when Mills reached on a one-out error and Collie drew a two-out walk. But McMullen came on in relief and got a Tice to fly out to left to end the game.

Mills had a triple and two singles for the Tigers, while Kennedy had three singles. Farley added a double, with McGregor and Collie added singles.

Brad Luna was the starter and loser for NEMCC. He started, went 4 1/3 innings, allowed four runs (all earned), six hits, walked two and struck out none. Jon Andy Scott last 1 2/ 3 innings, gave up no runs and two hits. Patrick Hinton went the final three innings, gave up two runs (one earned), three hits, walked none and struck out two.