CLINTON – The Jones County Junior College Lady Bobcats had to win three games on Saturday in order to claim a national championship.
They ended up winning two.
JCJC defeated Kankakee Community College (Illinois) 9-6 and LSU-Eunice 9-0 in its first two games here Saturday at Traceway Park in the NJCAA Division II National Tournament.
But LSU-Eunice hit four home runs – including two by Rebecca Skains – and defeated the Lady Bobcats 12-4 in the championship game.
JCJC's Kelly Byrd was named the Marucci Elite Hitter of the tournament, while Brittany Baty, Brittany Hagwood, Amanda Holliday and Kalyn Watts were named to the All-Tournament Team.
JCJC ends the year with a 50-8 record, while LSU-Eunice is 58-8.
JCJC got off to a good start.
Kalyn Watts led off the bottom of the first with a double to left and Cori McCrary reached on an error, which allowed Watts to score.
But the Bengals took the lead for good in the top of the second.
Jeannemarie Angelle led off with a double and scored on Jordan Hartman's single. Hartman advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on Jaci Lavigne's single.
Skains led off the third with a home run to rightfield to give LSU-Eunice a 3-1 lead. Bobbi Smith drew a walk, Angelle singled and Molly Wilson followed with a three-run home run to give the Bengals a 6-1 lead.
But the Lady Bobcats came right back in the bottom of the third.
Jay Harris and Watts singled. After a sacrifice, Byrd drilled a home run over the rightfield fence to trim the lead to 6-4.
LSU-Eunice added a run in the fourth when Lavigne singled. Madison Edmonston then sacrificed, but a throwing error on the play allowed Lavigne to score.
The Bengals took control with a five-run sixth inning.
Lavigne and Edmonston singled to start the inning and both runners advanced on an error. Skains then hit her second home run of the game, this one a three-run shot over the rightfield fence to make it 10-4.
With two outs in the inning, Alli Daigle singled and Angelle followed with a two-run home run to right.
The Lady Bobcats went in order in the sixth. In the seventh with two outs, Harris singled. Watts then lined out to third base to end the game.
Holliday, 15-5, went two innings-plus as the starter and took the loss. She allowed four earned runs, five hits and walked one. Haylee Morse pitched the final five innings, allowed eight earned runs, eight hits, walked none and struck out four.
Byrd homered, Watts had a double and a single and Harris singled twice. Autumn Frost added a single.
Skains homered twice and drove in four runs, while Angelle homered, doubled and singled and Lavigne had three singles. Edmonston had two singles, while Wilson homered and Daigle and Hartman added singles.
Abigail Leonards went 4 1/3 innings and posted the win. She allowed four runs (three earned) and four hits. Jordan Dougherty went the final 2 2/3 innings, allowed no runs, two hits and struck out three.
 

NJCAA Division II National Tournament

Clinton
Traceway Park
Saturday's game
Championship
LSU-Eunice 12, Jones County 4
LSU-Eunice (58-8)                024 105 0 – 12 13 1
Jones County (50-8)            103 000 0 – 4 6 2
Abigail Leonards, Jordan Dougherty (5) and Jessica Thomas. Amanda Holliday, Haylee Morse (3) and Natalie Hogue. WP-Leonards. LP-Holliday (15-5). LSUE hitters: Rebecca Skains 2 HR; Jeannemarie Angelle HR 2 1B; Jaci Lavigne 3 1B; Madison Edmonston 2 1B; Molly Wilson HR; Alli Daigle 1B; Jordan Hartman 1B. JCJC hitters: Kalyn Watts 2B, 1B; Jay Harris 2 1B; Kelly Byrd HR; Autumn Frost 1B. LOB: LSUE-3; JCJC-3. T-2:14.
 

NJCAA Division II National Tournament
Clinton
Traceway Park
Wednesday's results
Game 1, Phoenix (AZ) 10, Potomac St. (WV) 2
Game 2, Labette (KS) 2, Illinois Central 1
Game 3, Des Moines Area (IA) 9, Florence-Darlington Tech (SC) 0
Game 4, LSU-Eunice 16, Mott (MI) 0
Game 5, Jones County 15, Heartland (IL) 0
Game 6, Kankakee (IL) 8, Mercyhurst North East (PA) 5
Game 7, Highland (KS) 4, Lansing (MI) 0
Game 8, Kirkwood (IA) 8, Illinois Valley 7
Thursday's results
Game 9, Illinois Central 4, Potomac State 0
Game 10, Mott 10, Florence-Darlington Tech 2
Game 11, Mercyhurst North East 9, Heartland 6
Game 12, Lansing 11, Illinois Valley 3
Game 13, Labette 6, Phoenix 3
Game 14, LSU-Eunice 10, Des Moines Area 1
Game 15, Jones County 12, Kankakee 4
Game 16, Kirkwood 6, Highland 0
Game 17, Phoenix 4, Lansing 3
Game 18, Des Moines Area 9, Mercyhurst North East 0
Game 19, Kankakee 10, Mott 1
Game 20, Illinois Central 11, Highland 6
Friday's results
Game 21, LSU-Eunice 3, Labette 2 (9 innings)
Game 22, Jones County 7, Kirkwood 6
Game 23, Kankakee 6, Illinois Central 3
Game 24, Phoenix 9, Des Moines Area 1
Game 25, Kankakee 8, Labette 4
Game 26, Phoenix 5, Kirkwood 2
Game 27, LSU-Eunice 4, JCJC 2
Game 28, Kankakee 9, Phoenix 6
Saturday's results
Game 29, JCJC 9, Kankakee 6
Game 30, JCJC 9, LSU-Eunice 0
Game 31, Championship, LSU-Eunice 12, JCJC 4