Former St. Aloysius star Pierson Waring had two hits, including a double, and Justin Smith had three hits to lead Hinds Community College to a 6-4 victory over Jones County Junior College in the opening game of the MACJC Tournament on Thursday.

Alex Gunn (5-2) threw seven strong innings to get the win for Hinds, and Tyler Akins pitched the last two innings for his sixth save of the season.

Former Warren Central star Beau Wallace drove in Waring with the go-ahead run with a single in the sixth inning. Wallace then scored on a single by Akins to give Hinds a 5-3 lead.

Hinds (32-16) will play Itawamba Community College in a winners’ bracket game today at 3 p.m. in Fulton. Hinds also earned a berth in the Region XXIII Tournament next week at LSU-Eunice.