PERKINSTON — Mississippi Gulf Coast opens its MACJC schedule Saturday with nothing less than a top-20 showdown at Ken "Curly" Farris Field.

The Bulldogs (11-5) jumped into the NJCAA Division II rankings at No. 13 in the first regular-season poll, two spots behind Itawamba (13-3). The doubleheader starts at 2 p.m. and will be streamed at https://livestream.com/BulldogLIVE/ItawambavsMGCCCBaseball17.

Gulf Coast has played a Division I-heavy non-conference schedule. The Bulldogs are 12-4 against those schools.

They had a 10-game win streak in the early going, but are coming off a doubleheader loss at Baton Rouge that extended their current skid to three. Gulf Coast had swept Baton Rouge during that win streak.

Tyler Evans (So., D'Iberville/D'Iberville) leads Gulf Coast with a .333 batting average and two home runs. Sam Taylor (So., New Hope/Columbus) has a team-high 12 RBI.

Gulf Coast's two closers have been particularly effective so far. Brandon Kennedy (So., Choctaw Central/Philadelphia) and Mason Sullivan (So., Harrison Central/Saucier) have converted all seven save opportunities. They have a combined 2.03 ERA.

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