SENATOBIA – With a two-game sweep of Jones County in a best-of-3 series by 10-8 and 7-3 finals, Northwest has clinched a berth in next weekend's MACJC Baseball Tournament in Raymond.

Northwest improved to 30-13 overall and has now posted 30 or more wins in four of the last five seasons under head coach Mark Carson. Jones County ended its season at 30-16.

The top four seeds in the state playoffs all advanced out of the first round. Tournament host and 3rd-ranked Hinds (38-5), 15th-ranked Meridian (33-15), Northwest and 16th-ranked East Mississippi (28-14) will compete in a double-elimination format May 7-9 at Joe G. Moss Field to crown a state champion.

A gutsy relief effort from freshman J.G. Lipscomb and an eight-run seventh inning lifted Northwest to a 10-8 come-from-behind win in the opening game of the series.

Dalton Dulin's solo home run to right in the first, his first of the season, gave the Rangers an early 1-0 lead.

But JCJC would respond with four in the second to take its first lead, using a two-run double from Walt Prince, sac bunt from Clint Sasser and RBI-groundout from Dylan Manichia. The Bobcats made it 5-1 after three after a bobbled ball in the outfield on Tyler Schankin's single allowed pinch-runner Josh Keel to score.

The teams exchanged single runs in the sixth on Carter Polles' RBI-double and Luke Latham's RBI-single, making it 6-2.

Daniel Goff was cruising along on the mound for JCJC with a four-run lead until the wheels fell off for the Bobcats in the seventh. Goff was relieved by Will Simon with two on and one out and walked both batters he faced before being pulled for Will Brand. Clay Casey then drew a bases-loaded walk, Stephen Sexton singled and Jamell Newson walked to tie the game at 6-6. Five pitches later, Kody Kimbrough unloaded a grand slam to left to cap an eight-run inning and put the Rangers on top 10-6. It took four Bobcat pitchers to finally get out of the inning.

JCJC scratched across single runs in the eighth and ninth to pull within 10-8 before Koby Busby got a pair of strikeouts and fly out with the go-ahead run at the plate for his fourth save.

Northwest played with the lead from start to finish in game two of the series, plating three runs in the first and four in the fifth – all with two outs – to finish off a sweep.

Sexton's two-run double to right put the Rangers on the board first and Kimbrough followed with an RBI-fielder's choice.

John Alan Wall's solo home run in the fourth and Manichia's double in the fifth pulled JCJC within 3-2 before four unanswered for the Rangers stretched the lead back out to 7-2. Casey's RBI-walk and Sexton's three-run double to right-center cleared the bases.

Carter Polles' solo home run to left pulled JCJC within 7-3 after eight and the Bobcats threatened in the ninth.

Busby relieved Grant Black with one out and two on in the ninth, giving up a single and getting a strikeout to load the bases for Polles who represented the tying run. Polles gave Busby's 1-0 pitch a ride to left but Sexton was able to squeeze it to preserve the win just feet from the fence.

Northwest turned four double plays in the victory and could have turned an unprecedented seven if not for three miscues. 

Austin Towles (4-1) went seven innings, scattering seven hits, three runs and two strikeouts before Busby recorded his team-high fifth save with a scoreless two-thirds.

Northwest will open play at the state tournament on Thursday, May 7 at 2 p.m. against EMCC. Live video and live stats will be available for all games, simply go to the baseball schedule page and scroll down for the links.