Softball | 5/12/2018 12:31:00 AM

FULTON – It was one of those ESPN "Instant Classic" type of games and No. 4 Jones County came out on top.
Kelsha Loftin's (Mendenhall) base hit in the 10^thinning lifted the Lady Bobcats to a 6-5 victory over No. 2 LSU-Eunice in the winner's bracket game of the Region 23 Tournament here at the Itawamba Softball Complex.
The win assures JCJC of a berth in the NJCAA Division II National Tournament May 16-19 at Traceway Park in Clinton.
The Lady Bobcats, 48-3 and winners of 15 straight games, will play LSU-Eunice again at 1 p.m. Saturday for the region title. If LSU-Eunice wins that game, another game would follow. Both teams, however, will compete in the national tournament.
LSU-Eunice eliminated East Central, 6-2. ECCC had earlier eliminated host Itawamba, 12-7.
It was back and forth for the entire game between the Lady Bobcats and Bengals.
With the game tied 5-5 entering the bottom of the 10^th, JCJC went to work.
McKennah Sikes (Van Buren, Arkansas) led off with a single. Faith Denton's (Northwest Rankin) sacrifice moved Sikes to second base and Gracie McCleskey (Caledonia) followed with a single to put runners at first and third. Bailey Gilbert (Sylva-Bay Academy) then reached on a bunt single. Sikes was held at third and the Lady Bobcats had the bases loaded with one out.
Loftin then hit a 1-1 pitch into centerfield to score Sikes and end the game.
The Lady Bobcats held a 4-2 lead entering the seventh.
With two outs, Mima Doucet singled. Madison Monson then hit a 1-2 pitch over the leftfield fence to tie the game at 4-4. Emily Henderson followed with another home run and the Bengals took a 5-4 lead.
Callie Venable (Clinton, Louisiana) led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a single, went to second on Hallie Donald's (Mooreville) groundout and took third on a Nancy Williams (Southeast Lauderdale) groundout.
With two outs, Denton reached on an error, which allowed Venable to score and tie the game to force extra innings.
JCJC scored the game's first run in the second inning.
Sikes reached on an error and Denton was hit by a pitch. With one out, Sarah Brock (North Pike) walked to load the bases. Loftin drove in Sikes with a fielder's choice.
The Bengals took a 2-1 lead in the third.
Darian Doucet reached on an infield single and scored on a two-out triple by Mima Doucet. Monson followed with an RBI single.
The Lady Bobcats tied it at 2-2 in the bottom of the third.
Venable hit a one-out double to right and scored on a two-out single by Sikes. 
Jones went ahead 3-2 in the fourth when Loftin walked with two outs and scored on a Taylor Murray (Parklane Academy) double. 
JCJC added a run in the bottom of the sixth.
Angel Guyton (Smithville) reached on an infield single and was replaced by McCleskey. Brock sacrificed her to second and Loftin singled her home.
Venable doubled and singled twice with Sikes getting three singles for Jones. Loftin had two singles and three RBIs. Murray had a double with McCleskey, Guyton and Gilbert adding singles.
Donald pitched the final 3.1 innings and got the win, improving to 12-0. She allowed no runs, one hit and struck out three. Starter Madison Burge (Harrison Central) pitched 6.2 innings, allowed five runs and 10 hits. She had no walks and no strikeouts.
Darian Doucet doubled and singled twice for LSU-Eunice. Monson homered and singled, while Mima Doucet tripled and singled and Lakyn Wales singled twice. Henderson homered with Ally Howard adding a single.
Heather Zumo pitched the final 3.1 innings and got the loss. She gave up two runs (one earned), five hits and struck out two.
Morgan LaTour, Jeanne Trahan and Kaeleigh Crutchfield all pitched for the Bengals.
LSU-Eunice is 46-17 on the season.