Baseball | 6/3/2016 11:54:00 PM

Box Score ENID, Okla. – The 3rd ranked Jones County Junior College Bobcats are two wins away from a national championship.

Mason Strickland tossed a complete-game victory and Tanner Huddleston drove in four runs to spark the Bobcats to an 11-3, seven-inning victory over previously unbeaten GateWay College (Arizona) here Friday night in the NJCAA Division II Baseball World Series.

JCJC will now meet No. 5 Sinclair (Ohio) at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. Sinclair eliminated Mercer County (New Jersey) 11-1 in five innings on Friday afternoon.

The JCJC/Sinclair winner meets GateWay at 7 p.m. on Saturday for the championship. GateWay draws the bye into the finals because they stayed in the winner's bracket the longest in the tournament.

Both games on Saturday will air on www.njcaatv.com.

Strickland, a sophomore from South Jones, was stellar as he improved to 12-0 on the season. He went seven innings, allowed three runs (two earned), seven hits, walked one and struck out three. It was his second victory of the World Series.

The Geckos got off to a quick start when Nathan Chokey led off the top of the first inning with a single and Isaac Parra sacrificed. Ian Evans followed with an RBI single and took second base on an error. Jeffrey Chandler doubled Evans home. JCJC answered with a run in the bottom of the first.

Fred Franklin doubled to center, advanced to third on a ground out and scored on a wild pitch.

The Bobcats took a 3-2 lead in the third. Franklin led off with a single and Huddleston crushed a double off the wall at the 390 mark in centerfield. Franklin scored on a wild pitch and Erick Hoard's sacrifice fly scored Huddleston.

The Geckos tied it at 3-3 in the fourth. Chandler Reynard singled and went to second on a groundout. He scored on Matt Asta's single to right.

The Bobcats took the lead for good with three runs in the bottom of the fourth.

Jonathan Parker singled with one out and with two outs, Clint Sasser was hit by a pitch. Franklin then drew a walk to load the bases. Huddleston then singled to center to score Parker and Sasser. Huddleston got into a rundown between first and second. Franklin was able to steal home on the play when Huddleston made it safely back to first to make it 6-3.

JCJC took command with five runs in the bottom of the fifth.

Mason Irby led off with a single to center and John Alan Wall was hit by a pitch. Shelton Wallace then bunted back to the pitcher, but a poor throw to first allowed Wallace to reach and load the bases with no outs. Irby and Wall then scored on consecutive wild pitches. Parker then drew a walk and Dalton Skelton was hit by a pitch to load the bases. After a strikeout and a flyout, Huddleston came through with a two-run single to center to score Parker and Parker. Huddleston got into another rundown between first and second. He managed to stay in the rundown long enough to allow Skelton to score.

With two outs in the seventh, GateWay loaded the bases on an error, a hit batsman and a walk. But Strickland got a ground ball to end the game.

Huddleston doubled and singled twice for the Bobcats, while Franklin doubled and singled and Hoard doubled. Irby and Parker added singles.

Kyle Gibbs and Chandler doubled for the Geckos with Chokey, Evans, Reynard, Brady Hettinger and Asta adding singles.

Cole Norris started and went the first three innings for GateWay. He allowed three earned runs, three hits, walked three and struck out one. Joey Bostaph pitched one inning and took the loss. He gave up seven runs (five earned), three hits, walked two and struck out two. Jackson Weller went the final two innings, allowed one run (unearned), two hits, walked none and struck out two.

The Geckos are now 43-21 on the season.

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 results
Game 11, Western Oklahoma 11, Monroe (NY) 1 (6 innings)
Game 12, Jones County 11, Brunswick (NC) 3 (8 innings)
Game 13, Mercer County (NJ) vs. Sinclair (OH), (suspended by rain)
June 1 result
Game 13, Sinclair (OH) 12, Mercer County (NJ) 8
June 2 results
Game 14, Mercer County (NJ) 5, Western Oklahoma 4
Game 15, GateWay (AZ) 6, Sinclair (OH) 3
June 3 results
Game 16, Sinclair (OH) 11, Mercer County (NJ) 1 (5 innings)
Game 17, Jones County 11, GateWay (AZ) 3 (7 innings)
June 4 games
Game 18, Jones vs. Sinclair (OH), 3:30 p.m.
Game 19, Championship, Winner G18 vs. GateWay (AZ), 7 p.m.
 

NJCAA Division II World Series

Enid, Oklahoma
David Allen Memorial Ballpark
Friday's game
Jones County 11, GateWay (Arizona) 3
(7 innings)
GateWay (43-21)                 200 100 0 – 3 7 2                
Jones County (50-9)           102 350 x – 11 8 3  
Cole Norris, Joey Bostaph (4), Jackson Weller (5) and Matt Asta. Mason Strickland and Jonathan Parker. WP-Strickland (11-0). LP-Bostaph. GCC hitters: Kyle Gibbs 2B; Jeffrey Chandler 2B; Nathan Chokey 1B; Ian Evans 1B; Chandler Reynard 1B; Brady Hettinger 1B; Matt Asta 1B. JCJC hitters: Tanner Huddleston 2B, 2 1B; Fred Franklin 2B, 1B; Erick Hoard 2B; Mason Irby 1B; Jonathan Parker 1B. LOB: GCC-6; JCJC-6. T-2:31.