Softball | 2/28/2018 9:10:00 PM

ELLISVILLE – Taylor Murray (Parklane Academy) homered and Karli Perque (Westwego, Louisiana) struck out 11 to lead No. 2 Jones County to a 2-1 victory over No. 10 East Central in the MACJC season opener here Wednesday afternoon at Community Bank Park/Gwen Magee Field.
Murray got Jones off to a good start in the bottom of the first inning with a home run over the centerfield wall to make it 1-0.
JCJC went up 2-0 in the second when Callie Venable (Clinton, Louisiana) singled and scored on a two-out double by Gracie McCleskey (Caledonia).
It stayed that way until the fifth.
Mackenzie Johnson and Macy Brabham drew one-out walks. After Perque got a strikeout, Shelby Walters singled home a run. Perque notched another strikeout to end the inning.
The Lady Warriors got a leadoff single in the sixth and sacrificed the runner to second with one out. But Perque got two fly outs to end the threat and retired the side in order in the seventh.
Perque allowed one run, four hits, walked two and struck out 11 as she improved to 4-1.
Offensively, Murray homered, McCleskey and Hallie Donald (Mooreville) doubled and Venable and Kelsha Loftin (Mendenhall) singled.
Kaitlyn Oswalt took the loss for East Central, allowing two runs, five hits, two walks and recording four strikeouts.
Walters doubled and singled with Kayla Beckham and Ali Garman adding singles. 
JCJC is now 14-1 and ECCC is 11-2.