ELLISVILLE – It was an unusual finish to a bizarre game here Friday night at Community Bank Park.
The 14^th-ranked East Central Warriors scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning on a passed ball and edged 2^nd-ranked Jones County 14-13 in the MACJC Tournament winner's bracket game.
It was East Central's only lead of the game.
The contest featured 27 runs, 21 hits, nine errors, 19 walks, six hit batsmen and two balks.
The Bobcats, 44-6, will now face Northwest at 2 p.m. on Saturday in an elimination game. The JCJC vs. Northwest game will air on www.nwccrangers.com. The Rangers, 29-18, eliminated 11^th-rated Meridian 9-4 in Friday's loser's bracket game. The Eagles end the year at 39-12.
East Central, 36-15, meets the JCJC/Northwest winner at 6 p.m. Saturday. If JCJC defeats Northwest, the Bobcats vs. ECCC game will air on www.jcjc.tv.
If the Warriors win the 6 p.m. game, they will be the tournament champions. If ECCC loses, the title game will be played at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
JCJC, East Central, Northwest and top-ranked LSU-Eunice will comprise the Region 23 Tournament field. The Region 23 event will be May 19-22 at the site of the MACJC Tournament winner.
ECCC rallied from 5-0, 8-1 and 13-8 deficits to claim Friday's win. JCJC held a 13-8 lead going into the bottom of the eighth inning before the Warriors tied the game at 13-13.
In the bottom of the ninth, ECCC's Nathan Roseberry led off with a double to leftfield. Dylan Snypes was then intentionally walked.
Will Kennedy then hit a fly ball down the rightfield line that was caught by Mason Irby. Irby made a great throw to third baseman Tanner Huddleston to try and get Roseberry, who had tagged up, but Roseberry was called safe. Snypes took second on the play.
The Bobcats intentionally walked Cole Prestegard to load the bases with one out and set up the force at any base.
ECCC sent Reagan Warren to the plate to pinch-hit. JCJC reliever Anthony Williams got ahead in the count, but a pitch got past catcher Jonathan Parker and Roseberry came home with the winning run.
The Bobcats were in control for most of the game.
JCJC took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Shelton Wallace was hit by a pitch and stole second. Huddleston drew a walk and Erick Hoard followed with a base hit. Wallace scored, but Huddleston was thrown out at home plate.
The Bobcats went up 5-0 in the third inning.
Fred Franklin led off with a home run over the leftfield wall. Clint Sasser, Wallace and Irby drew walks to load the bases. After Huddleston lined out, Hoard came through with a two-run single. Irby would score on an error.
ECCC got on the board in the bottom of the third when Roseberry reached on an infield single and advanced to second on an error. Snypes singled to put runners on first and third. Kennedy reached on a fielder's choice, but the ball was thrown away and Roseberry scored on the error.
The Bobcats went ahead 8-1 in the fourth.
Dalton Skelton led off with a walk and Franklin followed with his second home run of the game. With one out, Wallace drew a walk and would later score on an error.
Matt Mitchell led off the bottom of the fourth with a home run to make it 8-2.
JCJC got the run back in the fifth when, with two outs, Skelton, Franklin and Sasser drew walks to load the bases. Wallace was then hit by a pitch to force in a run.
The Warriors got back in the game with a six-run, bottom of the fifth when they only got one base hit – a single. They took advantage of four walks, three hit batsmen and a balk in the inning.
With the base empty and one out, Snypes and Kennedy walked and Prestegard singled to load the bases.
Brandon Clark was hit by a pitch to force in a run. Mitchell walked to make it 9-4. Billy Cameron and T.J. Lockett were both hit by pitches to make it 9-6. Michael Davis drew a walk to make it 9-7 and Cameron came home on a balk.
The Bobcats bounced back with two runs in the sixth.
Huddleston led off with a single and Hoard was hit by a pitch. John Alan Wall reached on a bunt single to load the bases and Parker drove in Huddleston with a sacrifice fly to center. Franklin's infield hit drove in Hoard.
JCJC took a 13-8 lead in the seventh.
Huddleston reached on an infield hit and advanced to second on an error. Hoard was intentionally walked and both runners advanced on a passed ball. Parker's single to right scored the runners.
The Warriors would tie the game with a five-run, eighth.
Roseberry led off the inning by striking out, but Parker could not hang on to the ball and had to throw him out at first. But Hoard could not handle the throw and Roseberry reached on the error.
Snypes followed with a bloop single. After a strikeout, Prestegard reached on an error and a run scored. Clark drew a walk and Mitchell followed with a two-run single. Cameron and Lockett then had run-scoring singles.
Davis then flied out to right. Cameron tried to tag and score, but was thrown out at home plate by Irby to end the inning.
The Bobcats were retired in order in the eighth and ninth innings.
Franklin homered twice, singled and drove in four runs. Hoard and Parker each doubled and singled and had three RBI. Huddleston singled twice and Wall singled.
Zach Taylor, 1-1, pitched the final four innings and was charged with the loss. He allowed six runs (one earned), six hits, walked three and struck out six. Williams pitched to the final batter.
Starter Ben Stiglets went 4 1/3 innings, allowed five hits, five runs (four earned), walked three and struck out two. Reed Michel pitched to two batters, walked one and hit one. Tyler Spring pitched to three batters, hit two and walked one.
Mitchell homered, singled twice and drove in four runs for the Warriors. Roseberry doubled and singled, while Snypes and Cameron had two singles each. Lockett and Prestegard added singles.
Channing Ward, the sixth pitcher of the game for the Warriors posted the victory.
 

MACJC Tournament

Ellisville
Community Bank Park
Friday's game
East Central 14, Jones County 13
Jones County (44-6)          104 312 200 – 13 10 4
East Central (35-16)           001 160 051 – 14 11 5
Ben Stiglets, Reed Michel (5), Tyler Spring (5), Zach Taylor (5), Anthony Williams (9) and Jonathan Parker. Brock Morris, Tyler Ladner (3), Peyton Lott (4), Christian Bellew (5), Taylor Creighton (6), Channing Wall (6) and Zach Parker, Michael Davis (3). WP-Wall (5-5). LP-Taylor (1-1). JCJC hitters: Fred Franklin 2 HR, 1B; Erick Hoard 2B, 1B; Jonathan Parker 2B, 1B; Tanner Huddleston 2 1B; John Alan Wall 1B. ECCC hitters: Matt Mitchell HR, 2 1B; Nathan Roseberry 2B, 1B; Dylan Snypes 2 1B; Billy Cameron 2 1B; T.J. Lockett 1B; Cole Prestegard 1B. LOB: JCJC-9; ECCC-9. T-3:49.
 
 

MACJC Tournament

Ellisville
Community Bank Park
May 12 results
Game 1, East Central 19, Meridian 11
Game 2, Jones County 15, Northwest 12
May 13 results
Game 3, Northwest 9, Meridian 4
Game 4, East Central 14, Jones County 13
May 14 games
Game 5, Northwest vs. Jones County, 2 p.m.
Game 6, East Central vs. Winner Game 5, 6 p.m.
May 15 game
Game 7, If necessary, 2 p.m.