Softball | 4/27/2018 10:17:00 PM
ELLISVILLE – The 4
th-ranked Jones County Junior College Lady Bobcats began postseason play in fine fashion here Friday night at Community Bank Park/Gwen Magee Field.
Karli Perque (Westwego, Louisiana) notched 10 strikeouts and
Emily Robinson (Lafayette) belted a two-run home run as JCJC defeated Mississippi Gulf Coast 5-2 in game one of the MACJC Best-of-3 playoff series.
Game two will be played at 1 p.m. Saturday and will air on
www.jcjc.tv. A third game, if necessary, will immediately follow game two.
The winner of the series will advance to the MACJC Tournament May 4-6. Itawamba defeated Northeast 7-4 in game one of that series on Friday. If ICC wins that series on Saturday, then they would host the state tournament.
JCJC got off to a quick start on Friday evening.
In the bottom of the first inning,
Taylor Murray (Parklane Academy) was hit by a pitch. Robinson then launched her eighth home run of the season over the leftfield wall and off the scoreboard to give Jones a 2-0 lead.
It stayed that way until the top of the fourth.
Mya Hopson got a leadoff single and one out later, Avery Sanders belted a two-run home run over the centerfield wall to tie the game at 2-2.
The Lady Bobcats would regain the lead in the bottom of the fifth without getting a hit.
Murray, Robinson,
Callie Venable (Clinton, Louisiana),
Hallie Donald (Mooreville) and
McKennah Sikes (Van Buren, Arkansas) each walked in consecutive at-bats to force in two runs and give Jones a 4-2 lead.
JCJC ended the scoring in the sixth when with two outs, Robinson doubled to left and Venable drove her in with a single to right.
Perque, 17-2, allowed two runs, three hits and walked three.
Robinson homered and doubled, while Donald added a double.
Kelsha Loftin (Mendenhall), Venable and
Faith Denton (Northwest Rankin) singled for JCJC.
Sanders went four-plus innings, allowed four runs, three hits, walked six, struck out two and got the loss. Betty Mingo two innings, allowed one run, three hits, walked two and struck out one.
Sanders homered, while Hopson and Kaitlynn McGoey singled for MGCCC's hits.
Friday's game
Ellisville
Community Bank Park/Gwen Magee Field
MACJC Best-of-Three
Game 1
Jones County 5, Mississippi Gulf Coast 2
Miss. Gulf Coast (22-15) 000 200 0 – 2 3 1
Jones County (42-3) 200 021 x – 5 6 1
Avery Sanders, Betty Mingo and Jada White, Hannah Hembree (5).
Karli Perque and
Faith Denton.
WP-Perque (17-2).
LP-Sanders.
MGCCC hitters: Avery Sanders HR; Mya Hopson 1B; Kaitlynn McGoey 1B.
JCJC hitters: Emily Robinson HR, 2B;
Hallie Donald 2B;
Kelsha Loftin 1B;
Callie Venable 1B;
Faith Denton 1B.
LOB: MGCCC-5; JCJC-10.
T: 2:04.
