ELLISVILLE – The Southwest Bears picked up 11 hits, including four doubles, on their way to a 7-5 win in the first game of their MACJC South Division doubleheader Saturday afternoon in Ellisville against the NJCAA’s top-ranked team, Jones County.

Jones County came back to gain the split with a 10-0 win in the finale. The game-one loss was the first at home for the Bobcats (24-2, 5-1) this season.

The Bears return to action Wednesday when they host Pearl River in a South Division matchup. Game one of the twinbill is set for 3:00.

Southwest (10-12, 4-4) trailed 3-0 before getting on the board with a pair of runs in the top of the third in the opener Saturday. Collin Carroll slammed a one-out double to centerfield then scored on Payden Lynch line-drive double to left. Advancing to third on an error, Lynch scored on Kendrick Hodges’ ground out.

The Bears made it 4-3 in the top of the fourth when Andrew Hubert led off with a base hit, Carroll reached base on a one-out walk and both scored on Lynch’s second double of the game. A hit batter, a walk and two Southwest errors in the bottom of the inning then allowed the Bobcats to score their final runs of the game and take a 5-4 lead.

The Bears regained the lead for good, 6-5, with two runs in the top of the fifth inning. Trey Wynn, on base in place of Tyler Towles (who had picked up his second hit) moved to second after Austin Knight was hit by a pitch. Wynn then moved to third and Knight to second on Patric Devlin’s sacrifice. A passed ball allowed Wynn to reach the plate and Knight later scored on Logan Ferrell’s base hit past first base.

The final run for the Bears came in the seventh inning when Devlin picked up his second hit with one out and later scored on a Jones County error. Brady Badon, who entered the game in the sixth in relief of winning pitcher Jesse Travis, retired three of the four batters he faced in the bottom of the seventh to record his fifth save and secure with the win.

Travis surrendered seven hits in his 5.2 innings on the mound. He allowed five runs, three earned, and struck out four batters while walking one and hitting three. Badon struck out one batter while not allowing a hit or walking a batter. Knight had two hits in the game.

The Bears were held to three singles in the second game, two from Ferrell and one from Wynn. The Bobcats scored three runs in first inning and added five in the third and two more in the fifth.

Jason Milton went 2.2 innings on the mound, allowing eight runs (five unearned) on four hits, in taking the loss for Southwest. He struck out four batters and walked two. Sam Richard and J. D. Stockstill also pitched.