PENSACOLA, Fla. --- The Mississippi College baseball team fell in its Gulf South Conference doubleheader at the University of West Florida on Saturday, March 18. The Argonauts (13-10, 5-6 GSC) rallied in the opener and held off a late charge to claim a 3-2 victory. It rode a big, third inning to walk away with a 5-2 win in the night cap.
 
The Choctaw (7-18, 3-8 GSC) struck the first blow in the opening game as JT Vance delivered an RBI-single to score Bridley Thomas in the top of the fifth. The Argonuats responded with three runs in the bottom of the sixth to take their first lead of the game at 3-1.
 
The Blue and Gold gave a late charge in the top of the ninth as Jordan Rollins led off the frame with a home run to right field. It marked the eighth of the season for the Miami native. MC had the tying run reach second as Beau Bates, who entered as a pinch runner for Kolby Williams, swiped the bag, but was left stranded. MC left 13 runners on base, including bases loaded in the first and the eighth. McWilliams drew a two-out walk, his second of the game and the fourth for the squad. The Luling, La., product lead the team with two hits to join his two walks. The team totaled seven hits in the game.
 
Kyle Collet (0-4) took the loss on the bump as he surrendered a run on two hits and a pair of walks in a third of an inning in relief. Caleb Jacobs tossed 5.1 frames in the start. He fanned five, but gave up two runs on two hits along with six walks.
 
In the second contest, the Green and Blue posted four runs in the third inning en route to its three-run victory. Trent Jeffcoat headlined the inning as he drove in half the runs of the frame with a single through the right side that scored Mark Townsend and Jackson Grabsky.
 
McWilliams put the Choctaw on the board in the fourth as he belted his first home run of the season to right center and pressed Vance across the dish to cut the lead in half. The home run was one of three in the contest and McWilliams' third of the twinbill.
 
The Blue and Gold had another chance to post runs in the sixth inning, after it left two stranded in the bottom of the fifth, following a UWF run that expanded the lead to 5-2. Thomas led off the inning with a walk followed by Rollins getting hit by a pitch on a four-pitch, at-bat. Two batters later, McWilliams drew an intentional walk with two down, but a strikeout ended the threat and left the bags juiced.
 
Gavin LeBlanc (0-5) garnered the loss on the mound as he four runs – two earned – on six hits and a walk. He added five strikeouts to his ledger in the start. Ervin Simmons and Jackson Smith combined for the final two frames in relief. Each allowed a hit as Simmons yielded the final run.
 
Mike Scordo and Jeffcoat each recorded multiple-hit efforts for UWF in the double dip. Jacob Estes (1-0) picked up the win in the opener with two hits allowed in 2.2 frames while Major Posey (3-2) earned the win in the second affair with two runs allowed on three hits and three strikeouts in five frames. Chase Wilkerson (5) and Chase Stanhope (1) each logged saves.
 
The two teams conclude the series on Sunday, March 19 with a 1 p.m. first pitch.
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