DECATUR – The 3
rd-ranked Jones County Junior College Bobcats are one win away from a trip to the NJCAA Division II World Series.
T.J. Hollis pitched eight excellent innings and JCJC broke a 1-1 tie with an eight-run, fifth inning and whipped the host East Central Community College Warriors, 12-2, Saturday night in the Region 23 Tournament here at the Clark/Gay Baseball Complex.
JCJC, 48-8, will now meet East Central, 39-16, at 3 p.m. on Sunday for the regional championship. The winner of the game will advance to the NJCAA Division II World Series May 28-June 4 in Enid, Oklahoma.
Hollis pitched eight innings, allowed one run (unearned), five hits, walked three and struck out seven as he improved to 2-0.
ECCC scored in the top of the first when Dylan Snypes led off with a single, Will Kennedy reached on an error and Cole Prestegard's single scored Snypes.
JCJC answered quickly in the bottom of the first when
Clint Sasser led off with a double, took third on
Shelton Wallace's groundout and scored on
Mason Irby's sacrifice fly.
It remained 1-1 until the bottom of the fifth when the Bobcats sent 12 batters to the plate and scored eight runs.
Fred Franklin led off with an infield single, Sasser reached on a bunt single and Wallace walked to load the bases. Irby was hit by a pitch to score Franklin and
Tanner Huddleston followed with a sacrifice fly to score Sasser.
Erick Hoard then singled to left to score Wallace and make it 4-1.
John Alan Wall then walked to load the bases and
Jonathan Parker walked to drive in Irby.
Dalton Skelton then doubled to right to score Hoard and Wall and Franklin followed with his second hit of the inning – a two-run single to drive in Parker and Skelton to make it 9-1.
The Bobcats added to the lead in the sixth when Irby led off with a single and Hoard hit his 17
th home run of the year to make it 11-1.
JCJC got its final run in the seventh when Skelton led off with a walk, stole second and third and scored on Sasser's groundout.
The Warriors added a run in the ninth.
Brayden Hodge finished up on the hill. He pitched the ninth inning, allowed an unearned run, two hits, walked one and struck out two.
Hoard homered, singled and drove in three runs for the Bobcats, while Sasser doubled and singled. Franklin had a pair of singles with Huddleston and Skelton adding doubles. Irby had a single.
Matt Mitchell doubled and singled for East Central, while Snypes, Kennedy, Prestegard, Zach Parker and Nathan Roseberry added singles.
Taylor Creighton was the starter and loser. He went 4 1/3 innings, allowed five earned runs, four hits, walked three and struck out two. Hagan Brown, Christian Bellew and Braden Peterson also pitched for ECCC.
Region 23 Tournament
Decatur
East Central Community College
Clark/Gay Baseball Complex
Thursday's results
Game 1, JCJC 8, LSU-Eunice 2
Game 2 East Central 3, Northwest 2
Friday's results
Game 3, LSU-Eunice 11, Northwest 5
Game 4, East Central 11, JCJC 10
Saturday's results
Game 5, JCJC 13, LSU-Eunice 9
Game 6, JCJC 12, East Central 2
Sunday's games
Game 7, Championship, JCJC vs. East Central, 3 p.m.
