Hinds Community College won the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges baseball title for the second time in three seasons with a 6-5 victory over Gulf Coast on Saturday at Itawamba Community College.

The Eagles (34-16) have won five games in a row after dropping their last seven regular-season games and will be the top seed in next week’s Region XXIII tournament at LSU-Eunice.

“I can’t say enough good things about this group of guys,” Hinds coach Sam Temple said. “They have shown an incredible amount of resiliency over these last two weekends and I am proud to have the opportunity to be their coach.”

Hinds jumped on the board first in the third inning, as Kiko Thompson led off the frame by legging out a single. Tyler Akins drew a one-out walk and Justin Smith cashed in with a RBI single and took second off a misplayed throw from the outfield. Caleb Baucum continued the big inning with a two-RBI single.

Gulf Coast got a double play to end the inning, but Hinds held a 3-0 lead.

After Gulf Coast got a run back off an RBI double by Michael Paul in the bottom of the third, Hinds went right back to work. Daniel Gilbert doubled to lead off the fourth inning and former St. Aloysius star Pierson Waring bunted him over to third. Next batter Joseph Veazey blasted a two-run home run to give Hinds a 5-1 lead and knock Gulf Coast starter Justin Lee out of the game.

The Bulldogs scored off a double play in the bottom of the fourth and put runners on first and second. Hinds went to the bullpen as Alex Gunn took over for starter Kirk Thornton. Gunn induced a groundout to get Hinds out of further trouble.

Craig Wilson scored the final Hinds’ run off a wild pitch in the top of the fifth.

The Bulldogs kept rallying. Nick Boggs hit a sacrifice fly to drive in a run and Hunter Frierson added a RBI single as Gulf Coast cut the lead to 6-4. Nathan Aultman took over with one on and one out and pitched the Eagles out of the frame.

In the ninth, the Bulldogs cut the lead to 6-5 after Ben Slaton led off the frame with a single and Daniel Miles doubled him home with two outs to cut the lead to 6-5.