BOONEVILLE – The 5^th-ranked Jones County Junior College Lady Bobcats overpowered Northeast 14-3 in six innings in game one here Saturday afternoon at David Carnell Memorial Field.
Brittany Baty slugged two home runs and Kalyn Watts had another as JCJC rolled to the win.
Baty ended the game with five RBIs and has 35 RBIs on the year, while Watts now has 11 roundtrippers and 29 RBIs.
Baty is fourth in the nation in home runs and fifth in RBIs. Watts is second in the nation in home runs.
Rachel Hayes was solid again in the circle as she improved to 12-1. Hayes allowed three earned runs, five hits, walked three and struck out nine.
Hayes is third in the nation in wins and second in strikeouts with 104.
JCJC got off to a good start when Watts singled and Cori McCrary was hit by a pitch. Watts advanced on a passed ball and scored on Kelly Byrd's sacrifice fly.
Jones took a 5-0 lead in the fourth.
Jay Harris led off with a single and Watts followed with a two-run home run. Byrd reached on an error and Baty followed with her first home run of the game.
The Lady Tigers scored twice in the fourth, but JCJC answered with a run in the fifth. Hayes led off with a single and went to second on an error. She took third on Ashley Valentine's groundout and scored on a passed ball.
Northeast made it 6-3 in the bottom of the fifth, but the Lady Bobcats ended the game with an eight-run, sixth inning.
McCrary singled, Byrd walked and Baty followed with a three-run home run to make it 9-3.
Natalie Hogue then singled and was replaced by courtesy runner Shelby Nelson. Nelson went to second on a passed ball and to third on a single by Hayes. Nelson would score when Valentine reached on a fielder's choice and an error. Pinch-runner Brittany Hagwood scored on the same play to make it 11-3.
Courtesy runner Jessie Bumpous scored on a groundout. Watts and McCrary followed with singles and Byrd's single drove in the game's final two runs.
Baty also singled to go with her two home runs and Watts singled twice in addition to her homer. Hayes had three singles, while McCrary and Hogue had two singles each. Byrd had a single and three RBIs and Harris had a single.
Brittany Taylor doubled for Northeast, while Hannah Cox, Madison Davis and Abigail McCauley added singles.
Taylor went the distance and took the loss. She allowed 13 runs (11 earned), 15 hits, walked three and struck out none.