RAYMOND – It was almost a miracle finish for the Jones County Junior College Bobcats, but not quite.

JCJC rallied from an 11-6 deficit in the top of the ninth inning with five runs to tie Hinds Community College at 11-11. However, the Eagles got a run in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Bobcats, 12-11, and eliminate JCJC from the MACJC Baseball Tournament here Friday afternoon at Joe G. Moss Field.

Head coach Christian Ostrander’s team ends the season at 36-16.

Hinds, 34-16, will advance to play Holmes in an elimination game late Friday night. Holmes lost to Itawamba, 16-4, in eight innings in a winner’s bracket game later Friday afternoon. The winner of the Hinds/Holmes game will have to defeat unbeaten Itawamba twice on Saturday to claim the title. The championship game is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday with a second game, if necessary, about 40 minutes later.

Regardless of the outcome of the remainder of the tournament, Itawamba, Holmes and Hinds will now advance to the Region 23 Tournament on May 14-16 at LSU-Eunice.

Friday’s game had been back and forth, but the Eagles appeared to be in command heading into the top of the ninth with a five-run lead.

However, the Bobcats refused to go away.

Zachary Robertson, Chris Lofton and Tyler Gardner each singled to load the bases with no outs. Colby Dozier, who had entered as a pinch-runner in the eighth inning for Tyler McMullen, then stepped up and delivered a two-run single to left-center. McMullen had rolled an ankle and had to leave the game.

The Eagles brought Josh Clarke in to pitch for Ryan Nance. He promptly walked Charlie Hillman to load the bases. After a strikeout, Sam Berry came through with a single to center to score Gardner and make it 11-9. Charlie Shearer then entered for Clarke and Chanse Yelverton came in to run for Berry. Shearer then recorded the second out of the inning with a strikeout. However, catcher Adam Burnett followed with a two-run single to center and the game was tied 11-11. Shearer then got a pop up to end the inning.

In the bottom of the ninth, reliever Bryce Penny got Craig Howard to ground out. Brandon Alford and Stuart Magee followed with singles and Jordan Cochran replaced Penny. He got Mark Buchanan to fly out, but then walked Jason Hicks to load the bases. With two outs, Neil Barlow came up and lined a single down the left field line, driving in Alford and winning the game for Hinds.

The Bobcats had 16 hits on the day.

Lofton tripled, singled twice and scored three runs, while Berry had three singles and drove in two runs. McMullen homered, doubled, and was hit by pitches twice before leaving the game with the ankle injury. It was his third home run in two days, giving him a team-leading ten for the season. Hillman doubled and singled, while Gardner singled twice. Robertson, Dozier, Brock Landry and Burnett added singles.

Zach Toney started, went four-plus innings, gave up five runs (four earned), eight hits, walked two and struck out four. He was followed by Colton Ales, who went three-plus innings, gave up four runs (three earned), seven hits, no walks and struck out four. Penny pitched 1 1/3 innings, gave up three runs (two earned), three hits and two walks. He was charged with the loss. Cochran went 1/3 of an inning, giving up a hit and a walk.

Magee tripled, double, singled twice and scored three runs for the Eagles. Barlow doubled, singled and drove in four runs, while Hicks and Alford each singled three times. Buchanan doubled and singled and drove in two runs. Nick Schneeberger added a double, with Zach Polzin, Craig Scelfo, Shane Bennett and Howard each getting singles.

Zach Keit was the starter for the Eagles. He went five-plus innings, gave up five runs (four earned), nine hits, walked none and struck out three. Nance pitched three-plus innings, gave up five runs (all earned), five hits, walked one and struck out one. Clarke lasted 1//3 of an inning, giving up one earned run, one hit, one walk and one strikeout. Shearer got the final two outs for Hinds and was credited with the victory. He gave up a hit and got a strikeout.

JCJC took the lead quickly with a pair of runs in the top of the first. With one out, Lofton tripled to right and scored on Gardner’s infield hit. McMullen was then hit by a pitch. Both runners would advance on a passed ball and Hillman’s single would score Gardner.

Hinds got a run in the bottom of the first when Magee led off with a double, stole third and scored on Buchanan’s single. The Eagles tied it at 2-2 in the second when Schneeberger led off with a walk and took second on a wild pitch. He went to third on a ground out and scored on a single by Alford.

The Bobcats went up 4-2 in the fourth. McMullen lined a ball down the left field line that was called fair by the home plate umpire and foul by the third base umpire. He circled the bases for an apparent inside-the-park home run. However, after a discussion by the umpires, they ruled the ball foul and sent McMullen back to the plate.

It would make no difference, as McMullen then blasted his third home run of the tournament, a shot over the left field wall to make it 3-2. Hillman followed with a double and went to third on Dustin Gilmore’s fly ball to right. Berry’s single to center scored Hillman.

Hinds came back with a run in the bottom of the fourth when Polzin and Alford each singled. Polzin would eventually score on an errant pickoff attempt to make it 4-3.

Jones came right back to make it 5-3 in the top of the fifth. With one out, Lofton singled to center, stole second, took third on a ground out and scored on McMullen’s double to right.

The Eagles would then take their first lead of the game in the bottom of the fifth. Hicks led off with a single, stole second and scored on Barlow’s double to left-center. Schneeberger came through with a double down the left field line to score Barlow. Bennett’s single to right scored Schneeberger and put Hinds up 6-5.

Jones put runners on first and third with no outs in the sixth, but the Bobcats lined into a double play and then grounded out and came up empty.

The Eagles expanded the lead to 8-5 in the bottom of the sixth. Magee led off again with a single and stole second. Buchanan’s double down the right field line scored Magee. Hicks reached on a bunt single and Barlow’s sacrifice fly to center scored Buchanan.

The Bobcats added a run in the eighth. McMullen led off by being hit by a pitch and stole second. He was replaced by Dozier at this point. Gilmore’s ground out to second advanced Dozier to third. Landry then singled to center to score Dozier and make it 8-6.

But the Eagles came up with what proved to be three big runs in the bottom of the eighth. Magee led off again with another base hit, this time a triple to right-center. Buchanan reached on an error and Magee scored. Buchanan then stole second and Hicks drew a walk. Buchanan took third on a wild pitch and scored on a fielder’s choice by Benton. Benton would later score on a single to left by Scelfo, which made it 11-6.

That set the stage for the furious finish in the ninth inning and the Bobcats came up just short.

JCJC entered Friday’s game after falling to Holmes 7-5 in the opening round on Thursday. The Eagles were coming off a late-night, 14-13 loss to Itawamba. Hinds trailed in that game 13-3 in the fifth inning and was down 13-6 entering the top of the ninth. However, they scored seven runs to tie it, but the Indians scored on a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the ninth to win it and put Hinds in the loser’s bracket.