CLEVELAND, Tenn. --- The Mississippi College baseball team opened its three-game, Gulf South Conference series against Lee University with a 5-2 victory on Friday, March 24 at Larry Carpenter Stadium at Olympic Field.
 
The win gives the Blue and Gold its second straight and 12th in the all-time series. MC now holds a 12-11 advantage over the Flames (15-13, 6-7 GSC) in the series.
 
A trio of Choctaw (9-19, 5-8 GSC) recorded multiple hits on the afternoon led by JT Vance going 4-for-5 with two runs. The Union, Miss., native is the second MC player to recorded four hits this season as he joins Bridley Thomas, who accomplished the feat on Feb. 14. It is the team-best, ninth multiple-hit contest for Vance this season.
 
Kolby McWilliams and Beau Kirsch joined Vance with multiple hits as they each logged a pair of hits. McWilliams provided the only multi-RBI effort as he drove in two. It's the fourth multi-hit effort for each of them this season and McWilliams' third multi-RBI performance.
 
Caleb Jacobs (2-0) drew the start on the rubber and struck out a season-high six in seven innings as he scattered three hits and allowed just one run. Jackson Smith (1) picked up the second Choctaw save of the season as he allowed just a hit, run and struck out one in two innings of relief.
 
MC jumped on the board early as it plated three runs in the top of the second. McWilliams got the scoring output started with a single up the middle that scooted Vance across the dish. The squad then capitalized on LU miscues to capture the two remaining runs. The Choctaw totaled two hits in frame and exploited two errors into the early advantage.
 
It expanded on the lead in the top of the sixth as McWilliams and Bryce LaRocca each collected RBI hits that led to a 5-0 lead. The knocks were among a four-hit frame for the Blue and Gold. The Flames broke into the scoring column in the home-half of the frame on a Brandon Daniels' RBI-single through the right side, one of his team-best two hits in the game. The final LU run came on a Riley Black solo home run in the ninth.
 
Cameron Land (2-2) garnered the loss in the game as he surrendered three runs – two earned – on five hits in five innings.
 
Mississippi College and Lee conclude the weekend series on Saturday, March 25. The twinbill is penciled to start at Noon central.
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