ELLISVILLE – The 10th-ranked Jones College Bobcats blasted five home runs, including three in the sixth inning, and defeated No. 2 Mississippi Gulf Coast 9-1 here Friday afternoon at Community Bank Park/Gwen Magee Field.
The Bulldogs bounced back to win game two, 7-4, scoring five unearned runs in the third.
Jones, 22-6 overall and 11-5 in the MACCC, travels to No. 6 Copiah-Lincoln for a 4 p.m. doubleheader on Tuesday.
Gulf Coast, 19-7 overall and 15-1 in conference play, goes to No. 17 Southwest on Wednesday.
Game 1 – Jones 9, Gulf Coast 1 (6 inn)
The Bobcats got a triple from
Kristian Edwards (Laurel) in the first inning, a solo shot from
Lauren Lindsey (Mobile, Alabama) in the third and another from
Lauren Pope (Pearl) in the fourth to take a 3-1 lead.
In the sixth,
Tia'Rain Saunders (Choctaw Central) led off with a walk. With two outs, Pope belted her second home run of the day to make it 5-1. After a double by
Kat Wallace (Brookhaven),
Nia Luckett (Philadelphia) homered to put Jones up, 7-1.
Tyesha Cole (Philadelphia) followed with another round-tripper to make it 8-1.
Edwards then drew a walk and stole a pair of bases and Lindsey walked it off with a base hit.
The Bobcats divided the pitching duties up among three players.
Sterling James (DeSoto Central), the second pitcher, was credited with the win. She allowed no runs and no hits in 2.2 innings. She struck out one and improved her record to 8-1. Starter
Breley Boykin (Jackson Prep) went 2.2 innings, allowing a run on two hits and struck out five. Luckett pitched the final .2 innings, giving up a hit and getting a strikeout.
Pope homered twice, singled and drove in three runs. Lindsey homered and singled and had two RBIs. Cole homered and singled. Luckett homered and had two RBIs with Edwards getting a home run and Wallace adding a double. Edwards has 11 home runs on the year and Pope has eight.
K.K. Agner homered for the Bulldogs. Starter Hannah Herrington was charged with the loss.
Game 2 – Gulf Coast 7, Jones 4
The Bulldogs scored five unearned runs in the third inning and never looked back to take game two.
The Bobcats made a pair of errors in that inning and Agner capped the frame with a three-run home run.
Jones got a pair of runs back in the bottom of the third when Luckett doubled and Cole followed with a two-run home run.
Gulf Coast added two more runs in the fifth.
Jones got a leadoff home run from Lindsey in the sixth to make it 7-3.
The Bobcats added a run in the seventh when a sacrifice fly by Cole scored pinch-runner
Madison Jones (South Jones). Jones had the bases with two outs, but a fly out to right field ended the game.
Luckett doubled and singled and Edwards singled twice. Cole homered and had three RBIs. Lindsey homered with
Maycee Knight (Enterprise-Clarke) and Saunders adding singles. Lindsey now has 11 home runs on the season.
Luckett started, went 2.1 innings and got the loss. She also came back and pitched the final 1.0 innings. She gave up two runs, three hits and had six strikeouts on the day. She is now 4-3 on the year.
Boykin pitched 1.1 innings, giving up three runs, three hits and had a strikeout. James pitched 2.1 innings, allowing a run on three hits with a strikeout.
Abby Vance went the distance for Gulf Coast and got the win. She allowed four runs on eight hits.
Agner homered, singled and had three RBIs. Caroline Moore tripled and singled with Rakeya Travis and Sarah Brannan both getting a pair of singles.
