OXFORD, Ala. – After dropping a 1-0 decision to Phoenix earlier in the day, Jones rebounded in emphatic fashion Friday night with a 15-2 run-rule of Louisburg to reach Saturday's national championship game at 1 p.m. at Choccolocco Park.

It's the fifth championship game appearance in seven seasons for Jones. The Bobcats won the program's first national title in 2018 and finished as runner-up in 2014, 2016 and 2017.

Second-ranked Jones will have to defeat No. 1 Phoenix, winners of 41 straight, twice to win the championship.

Phoenix 1, Jones 0

Nia Luckett and Phoenix's Brianna Hardy went toe-to-toe for seven innings. It ultimately came down to one, timely hit.

Natalie Castro's RBI-single in the bottom of the fourth plated the lone run for Phoenix to send the Bears into the national title game.

Jones dodged a bullet in the first and ran themselves out of a good situation in the third.

With two outs and runners on second and third, Castro delivered the big hit on a 1-2 count.

Skylar McLellan's pinch-hit single to start off the bottom of the seventh put the tying run on for Jones. After a sac bunt and fly out, McLellan was 60 feet away with only one out. But a fly out to deep center stranded McLellan as the Bears held on for the 1-0 win.

Phoenix out-hit Jones 9-5. The teams combined to leave 18 on base.

Hardy improved to 31-0 in the circle for Phoenix. Luckett took her first loss since April 6.

Jones 15, Louisburg 2 (5 inn.)

After a tough 1-0 loss, Jones had seven hours to regroup thanks to a four-hour weather delay.

Jones blasted the softball all around Choccolocco Park and exploded for 15 runs on 14 hits, including a nine-run fifth inning.

Tied at 1-1 after two, Meagan Wynne's RBI-single plated Lauren Pope for the go-ahead run. 

Jones tacked on four in the fourth on a pair of two-run RBIs from Pope and Wynne and escaped a bases-loaded jam in the bottom half, only allowing one run

Leading 6-2 entering the fifth, an absolute hitting clinic ensued.

Jones scored nine runs on eight hits, highlighted by Luckett's three-run bomb, Kristian Edwards' two-run triple and a pair of RBIs from Lauren Lindsey to put the game well out of reach.

Sterling James came on to throw a scoreless fifth to close things out.

Tyesha Cole was 3-for-3, Wynne was 3-for-4 and Sydney Pevey added an RBI-single.