Softball | 5/19/2018 12:17:00 AM
CLINTON – The Jones County Junior College Lady Bobcats are one win away from a national championship.
The Lady Bobcats posted a 20-1, five-inning, ream, steam and dry clean of Phoenix College (Arizona) in a battle of the only two tournament unbeatens in the NJCAA Division II National Tournament here Friday afternoon at Traceway Park.
Earlier in the day, JCJC edged LSU Eunice, 8-7, in a winner's bracket game.
JCJC, 53-3 and winners of 20 straight games, will play at 1:30 p.m. Saturday for the championship. They will play the winner of the Des Moines Area Community College (Iowa)/Phoenix game, which starts at 11:30 a.m. DMACC eliminated LSU-Eunice 7-3 on Friday night.
The Lady Bobcats only have to win one game on Saturday to claim its first-ever national softball championship. All of Saturday's games will air on
www.njcaatv.com.
It was a mismatch in the JCJC vs. Phoenix contest.
Kelsha Loftin (Mendenhall) set the tone immediately when she homered to lead off the game.
The Bears tied in the bottom of the first when Hanna Krosky and Kaitlyn Dennis reached on errors and Tylor Gil singled a run home.
In the second,
Bailey Gilbert (Sylva-Bay Academy) and
Gracie McCleskey (Caledonia) walked and Loftin and
Taylor Murray (Parklane Academy) followed with RBIs singles.
Emily Robinson (Lafayette) followed with an RBI single and another run scored on an error to make it 5-1.
Hallie Donald (Mooreville) led off the third with a single and
McKennah Sikes (Van Buren, Arkansas) followed with a home run to center to make it 7-1. The Lady Bobcats then put the game out of reach when they sent 16 batters to the plate and scored 10 runs.
Murray led off the inning with a walk,
Callie Venable (Clinton, Louisiana) would single and Donald walked to load the bases. Sikes, Gilbert and McCleskey drew consecutive bases-loaded walks to make it 10-1. Pinch hitter
Angel Guyton (Smithville) followed with a two-run single and Loftin and Murray followed with RBI singles to make it 14-1.
Venable then got a two-run single, Donald walked and Sikes reached on an error, which plated the inning's final run to make it 17-1.
Sarah Brock (North Pike) led off the fifth with a single,
Meg Martin (Leake Academy) walked and Murray singled to load the bases. Robinson followed with a two-run single and Venable followed with an RBI double to end the scoring.
Madison Burge (Harrison Central) pitched all five innings and got the win, improving to 17-1. She allowed an unearned run, three hits, walked one and struck out six.
Venable had two doubles, two singles and three RBIs. Loftin homered, singled twice and drove in three runs, while Murray had three singles. Sikes homered and had three RBIs. Robinson, Donald, McCleskey, Brock and Guyton added singles.
Phoenix starter Kiana Carr went two innings and was charged with her first loss of the season, falling to 30-1. She gave up seven runs (five earned), six hits, walked two and struck out three. Krosky pitched 1.1 innings, allowed six runs, two hits, walked six and struck out two. Gil pitched 1.2 innings, allowed seven runs, nine hits, walked two and struck out two.
Gil, Kara Golden and Heather O'Kelly singled for the Bears (51-9).
Friday's game
Jones County 20, Phoenix College (Arizona) 1
Jones County (53-3) 142 (10)3 – 20 16 3
Phoenix (51-9) 100 00 – 1 3 3
Madison Burge and
Bailey Gilbert. Kiana Carr, Hanna Krosky (3), Tylor Gil (4) and Cherish Paolinelli.
WP-Burge (17-1).
LP-Carr (30-1). JCJC hitters:
Callie Venable 2 2B, 2 1B;
Kelsha Loftin HR, 2 1B;
Taylor Murray 3 1B;
McKennah Sikes HR;
Emily Robinson 1B;
Hallie Donald 1B;
Gracie McCleskey 1B;
Sarah Brock 1B;
Angel Guyton 1B.
PC hitters: Tylor Gil 1B; Heather O'Kelly 1B, Kara Golden 1B.
LOB:JCJC-8; PC-5.
T:2:13.
NJCAA Division II Tournament
Clinton
Traceway Park
Wednesday's results
G1, Des Moines Area (IA) 8, Mott (MI) 0
G2, Lincoln Land (IL) 1, Lansing (MI) 0
G3, Kirkwood (IA) 17, Kankakee (IL) 0
G4, Phoenix (AZ) 6, Pitt (NC) 0
G5, LSU-Eunice 5, Mercer County (NJ) 4
G6, Cowley (KS) 3, Madison (WI) 0
G7, Illinois Central 11, Johnson County (KS) 0
G8, Jones County 13, Potomac St. (WV) 0
Thursday's results
G9, Lansing 6, Mott 3
G10, Pitt 11, Kankakee 7
G11, Madison 10, Mercer County 0
G12, Johnson County 12, Potomac St. 1
G13, Des Moines Area 9, Lincoln Land 1
G14, Phoenix 4, Kirkwood 2
G15, LSU-Eunice 12, Cowley 3
G16, Jones County 10, Illinois Central 2
G17, Johnson County 11, Lincoln Land 3
G18, Madison 5, Kirkwood 4
G19, Cowley 11, Pitt 1
G20, Illinois Central 13, Lansing 4
Friday's results
G21, Phoenix 4, Des Moines 1
G22, Jones County 8, LSU-Eunice 7
G23, Cowley 8, Illinois Central 5
G24, Madison 5, Johnson County 4
G25, Des Moines 10, Cowley 4
G26, LSU-Eunice 8, Madison 6
G27, Jones County 20, Phoenix 1
G28, Des Moines 7, LSU-Eunice 3
Saturday's games
G29, Des Moines vs. Phoenix, 11:30 a.m.
G30, Championship, Jones County vs. Winner G29, 1:30 p.m.
G31, if necessary 4 p.m.
