Box Score ENID, Oklahoma – No. 3 Jones County battled back from 5-0 and 7-2 deficits to take a 9-8 lead over GateWay Community College (Arizona) in the bottom of the seventh inning.
But the Geckos scored three runs in the top of the eighth and defeated the Bobcats 11-9 here Monday night in a winner's bracket game of the NJCAA Division II Baseball World Series at David Allen Memorial Ballpark.
The Bobcats, 50-9, will now meet Brunswick (North Carolina) at 3 p.m. Tuesday in a loser's bracket game. The contest will air on
www.njcaatv.com.
JCJC was playing behind from the start vs. GateWay.
Nathan Chokey led off the game with a double. Isaac Parra then sacrificed and reached on an error to put runners on first and third. Ian Evans drove in Chokey with a fielder's choice and Kyle Gibbs was hit by a pitch. Jeffrey Chandler then singled to load the bases.
Bryce Redaja doubled to center to drive in two runs and Chandler Reynard's groundout scored Chandler to make it 4-0.
The Geckos made it 5-0 in the second when Matt Asta walked and was sacrificed to second by Chokey. Parra then reached on a fielder's choice and scored when Evans reached on an error.
JCJC got on the board in the third.
Dalton Skelton walked,
Fred Franklin singled and
Clint Sasser singled to load the bases. With two outs,
Mason Irby singled to score Skelton.
Erick Hoard led off the bottom of the fourth with a home run to trim the lead to 5-2.
GateWay came back with two runs in the fifth.
Evans reached on an infield single and one out later, Chandler singled. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch and with two outs, Reynard singled to center to make it 7-2.
But JCJC answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning.
Franklin led off with a single and Sasser reached on an error. After a fly out and a ground out, Huddleston lined a double to center to score two runs. Hoard then singled to right to drive in Huddleston and make it 7-5.
The Geckos got a run in the top of the sixth when Asta led off with a walk and Chokey singled. After Evans walked to load the bases, Asta would score on a wild pitch.
The Bobcats would tie the game in the bottom of the sixth.
Jonathan Parker was hit by a pitch to start the inning and Skelton followed with a single to center. Franklin sacrificed the runners and Sasser followed with a single to right to score Parker.
Skelton scored on an error on a pickoff attempt and Wallace singled Sasser home to make it 8-8.
JCJC took its first lead of the game in the bottom of the seventh.
Hoard reached on an error and took third on Wall's single to right. With one out, Asta – the Gecko catcher – tried to pick off Hoard at third, but the ball went into leftfield and Hoard scored to make it 9-8.
But the Geckos took advantage of four walks in the top of the eighth to re-take the lead.
Asta, Chokey and Parra walked to load the bases with no outs. Evans hit a fly ball to right that Irby caught. Asta tagged at third and the throw home was close, but Asta was ruled safe to tie the game at 9-9. Gibbs was then intentionally walked to load the bases.
After a strikeout, Redaja stepped to the plate. He hit a sharp grounder to third. Huddleston dove to his right, fielded the ball and threw to first. Redaja was called safe on a 'bang-bang' play. Chokey scored and Parra never stopped running and scored all the way from second base to give the Geckos a two-run lead.
Huddleston got a two-out single in the bottom of the eighth, but Hoard grounded out to short to end the inning.
JCJC was retired in order in the ninth.
The Bobcats got a home run and a single from Hoard and a double and a single from Huddleston. Sasser and Franklin each singled twice. Wallace, Irby, Wall and Skelton added singles.
Jay Simpson, the third of three JCJC pitchers, was charged with the loss. Simpson, 2-2, pitched an inning, allowed two earned runs, one hit and walked two. Starter
Ben Stiglets lasted an inning, allowed four runs (two earned) and three hits.
Logan Robbins pitched five innings, allowed four runs (three earned), five hits, walked three and struck out three.
Tyler Spring pitched the final two innings, allowed one earned run, one hit, walked two and struck out four.
Chokey had a double and two singles for Gateway, while Redaja doubled and singled. Chandler and Reynard had two singles each with Evans adding a single. Redaja had four RBIs and Reynard had three for the Geckos.
Brock Whittlesey went the final 3 1/3 innings and got the win. He gave up one run (unearned), two hits, walked one and struck out four. Starter Seth Nordlin went 5 2/3 innings, allowed eight runs (four earned), 10 hits, walked one and struck out three.
GateWay, 42-20, meets the winner of Tuesday's Mercer (New Jersey)/Sinclair (Ohio) game at 7 p.m. on Wednesday in what will be a matchup of the tournament's only two undefeated teams.
NJCAA Division II World Series
Enid, Oklahoma
David Allen Memorial Ballpark
Monday's game
Gateway (AZ) 11, Jones County 9
Gateway (42-20) 410 021 030 – 11 10 5
Jones County (50-9) 001 133 100 – 9 12 2
Seth Nordlin, Brock Whittlesey (6) and Matt Asta.
Ben Stiglets,
Logan Robbins (2),
Jay Simpson (7),
Tyler Spring (8) and
Jonathan Parker.
WP-Whittlesey.
LP-Simpson (2-2).
GCC hitters: Nathan Chokey 2B, 2 1B; Bryce Redaja 2B, 1B; Jeffrey Chandler 2 1B; Chandler Reynard 2 1B; Ian Evans 1B.
JCJC hitters: Erick Hoard HR, 1B;
Tanner Huddleston 2B, 1B;
Clint Sasser 2 1B;
Fred Franklin 2 1B;
Shelton Wallace 1B;
Mason Irby 1B;
John Alan Wall 1B;
Dalton Skelton 1B.
LOB: GCC-8; JCJC-8.
T-3:15.
NJCAA Division II World Series
Enid, Oklahoma
David Allen Memorial Ballpark
May 28 results
Game 1, GateWay (AZ) 11, North Iowa Area 1 (8 innings)
Game 2, Jones County 13, McHenry County (IL) 6
Game 3, Western Oklahoma 20, Parkland (IL) 2 (5 innings)
Game 4, Mercer County (NJ) 4, Brunswick (NC) 3
May 29 results
Game 5, Sinclair (OH) 9, Monroe (New York) 2
Game 6, McHenry County (IL) 8, North Iowa Area 7
Game 7, Brunswick (NC) 6, Parkland (IL) 3
May 30 results
Game 8, Mercer County (NJ) 8, Western Oklahoma 5
Game 9, Brunswick (NC) 12, McHenry County (IL) 8
Game 10, GateWay (AZ) 11, Jones County 9
May 31 games
Game 11, Monroe (NY) vs. Western Oklahoma, noon
Game 12, Brunswick (NC) vs. Jones County, 3:30 p.m.
Game 13, Mercer County (NJ) vs. Sinclair (OH), 7 p.m.
June 1 games
Game 14, Winner G11 vs. Loser G13, 3:30 p.m.
Game 15, Winner G10 vs. Winner G13, 7 p.m.
June 2 games
Game 16, Winner G14 vs. Loser G15, 3:30 p.m.
Game 17, Winner G15 vs. Winner G12, 7 p.m.
June 3 game
Game 18, Winner G17 vs. Winner G16, 7 p.m.
June 4 game
Game 19, Winner 18 vs. TBA
