Bulldogs fight back for split vs. No. 5 Jones

Mississippi Gulf Coast wasn't able to capitalize on some opportunities in its first game Wednesday in Ellisville.

The Bulldogs bounced back against No. 5 Jones to earn a big MACCC road split. Samuel Marsh took a no-hitter into the sixth inning on the way to a 3-1 win after dropping the opener 5-2.

"You get punched in the face in Game 1, and you bounce back in Game 2 against a really good opponent," Gulf Coast coach Zach Allen said. "We faced two really good arms today, and we just kept fighting. We talk all the time about fighting for it. When you get that opportunity, seize that moment."

The Bulldogs are 28-14 overall, 10-6 in MACCC play. They'll hold on to fifth place in the conference. Jones (28-9, 14-4) had a nine-game winning streak snapped.

Samuel Marsh (So, Monroe, La./Neville) struck out six in 5.2 innings. He gave up a two-out single in the sixth that scored Jones' only run. Eli Waters (So, Petal/Petal) got a strikeout to end the inning, another to start the seventh and retired all four batters his faced for his first save. Marsh is now 5-2.

"When things aren't going great, his stuff is really good," Allen said. "When he needs to make the pitches, he has the confidence he's gonna make those. He gives us a chance to win every time on the mound."

Naji Cain (Fr, Columbia/Columbia) got the Bulldogs on the bunt in the second. His bunt single forced an error, and two runs scored.

"He knows his tools and can handle the bat," Allen said. "He laid down a really good bunt and put some pressure on them. You have to do that when you're competing a really good arm."

Dawson Hall (So, Gulfport/Gulfport) had a one-out double in the fifth, and Jordan Davis (Fr, Neshoba/Neshoba Central) followed two batters later with a triple off the wall in right. Davis swung at a couple of changeups to get in a 1-2 hole, then readjusted.

"He looked at me and gave me a look," Allen said. "He gets that ball up and gets a really good swing on it. He's just been competing all year, and that's what we love to see out of our guys."

Davis had two hits in both games. He was joined by Jacob Palazzo (So, Biloxi/Gulfport) in the first game, and Palazzo's solo homer in the seventh got the Bulldogs on the scoreboard. Hall delivered a pinch-hit double later in the inning to cut the deficit to 5-2.

Gulf Coast got the tying run to the plate with nobody out in the ninth but couldn't get anything else across.

Brayden Scott (So, Pascagoula/Pascagoula) threw five innings of scoreless relief to keep the Bulldogs in the game.

Gulf Coast plays at home Saturday when Northwest Mississippi visits Ken "Curly" Farris Field. First pitch will be at 2 p.m.

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