RAYMOND – Holmes Community College scored six runs in the top of the eighth inning and held on to defeat Jones County Junior College 7-5 here on a hot Thursday afternoon at Joe G. Moss Field in the opening game of the MACJC Baseball Tournament at Hinds Community College.

That puts the Bobcats in a ‘must-win’ situation at noon Friday against Hinds. The host Eagles fell to Itawamba, 14-13, in a game that ended at 10:25 p.m. ICC led 13-3 at one point and was up 13-6 going into the ninth inning before Hinds tied it with seven runs. ICC won the game in the bottom of the ninth when they scored on a bases-loaded walk. Holmes will play Itawamba at 3 p.m. Friday. The winner of the noon game meets the loser of the 3 p.m. in an elimination game at 6 p.m. on Friday. The championship is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday.

The Bobcats lost despite a yeoman’s effort from sophomore Tyler McMullen. McMullen homered twice, singled and drove in three runs at the plate. On the mound, he limited the Bulldogs to only one run through seven innings, but ran into trouble in the eighth.

McMullen put Jones ahead 1-0 in the second inning with a solo home run. After seeing two offspeed pitches for strikes from pitcher Wil Browning, McMullen took the third changeup and parked it 385-feet away in left center field.

JCJC added a run in the fourth when Sam Berry singled to right and Brock Landry singled to left. Adam Burnett sacrificed the runners a base and Berry scored on Zach Hinton’s ground out.

Holmes made it 2-1 in the fifth using the bunt game. Matt Harris walked and Brandon McHenry singled on a bunt. Ryne Smith reached on another bunt single to load the bases. Mike Rutland’s sacrifice fly to right scored Harris, but McMullen got Ben Hodge on a strike out and Brian Higbee on a fly out to end the inning.

It stayed that way until the eighth inning when the Bulldogs used the bunt again to set the table.

Higbee reached on an infield hit and Eric Wilkes singled to left. Camren White then reached on another bunt single to load the bases. Jordan Brewer then delivered a two-run single to left, scoring Higbee and Wilkes to give Holmes a 3-2 lead. White and Brewer each advanced a base on the throw. Cory Williams then relieved McMullen at this point.

Michael Pounds then grounded the ball to shortstop Brock Landry, who gunned down White at home. McHenry followed with a walk to load the bases again.

Smith’s fly out to left scored Brewer to make it 4-2. Rutland then doubled to the wall in left-center, driving in two runs to put Holmes up 6-2. Hodge then doubled down the left field line to score Rutland and give the Bulldogs a 7-2 lead.

Stuart Morgan entered the game for Holmes on the mound to start the eighth in relief of the starter, Browning. With one out, Landry was hit by a pitch, but Morgan got a double play line drive off the bat of Burnett to end the inning.

But Jones did not quit.

In the bottom of the ninth, Charlie Hillman led off the inning as a pinch-hitter and promptly tripled to right-center. Zachary Robertson followed with a walk. Chris Lofton’s sacrifice fly to left, scored Hillman to make it 7-3. Tyler Gardner then reached on a fielder’s choice when Robertson was forced at second.

McMullen then crushed his second home run of the game and team-leading ninth of the season, a mammoth shot over the left field wall to make it 7-5. But Morgan retired Gilmore on a grounder to third and the Bulldogs had pulled out the victory and secured a spot in the Region 23 Tournament on May 14-16 at LSU-Eunice.

The Bobcats are now 36-15 on the season and need just one more victory to reach the regionals next week. Holmes improves to 29-21.

After McMullen’s effort at the plate, the Bobcats got two singles from Berry. Hillman had a triple, while Lofton, Gilmore and Landry added singles.

McMullen went seven-plus innings, allowed five runs (all earned), 11 hits, walked two and struck out five. He took the loss and is now 8-3 on the season. Williams went an inning, gave up two runs (both earned), two hits and walked two. Trey Lacy tossed the final inning, giving up one hit and fanning two.

Browning went seven innings, allowed two runs (both earned), seven hits, walked four and struck out six. He got the win and is now 9-3 on the season. Morgan went the final two innings, allowed three runs (all earned), two hits, walked one and struck out one.

Rutland doubled, singled twice and drove in three runs to lead the 14-hit attack for Holmes. White singled twice and doubled, while Brewer singled twice. Hodge had a double, while Smith, Higbee, Wilkes, Harris and McHenry added singles.