ELLISVILLE – Jones smacked six home runs and combined for 24 runs in a 14-0, 10-5 doubleheader sweep of Lansing (Mich.) on a gloomy and cold Tuesday at Community Bank Park.
The Bobcats, ranked fifth in the NJCAA, ran their season-long winning streak out to seven games in improving to 11-4. The Stars remained winless through six games.
An eight-run first inning propelled Jones to a run-rule win in the opener before rallying for eight runs over their final two at-bats to win the nightcap.
Jones 14, Lansing 0 (5 inn.)
Jones sent 12 batters to the plate in the first and scored eight runs, highlighted by
Aaliyah Dixon's two run homer, to win a quick 1-hour, 24-minute game one.
The Bobcats used a pair of double steals and RBIs from
Holly Craft,
Madison Jones,
Gabby Hoffman and Dixon.
Taylor Duncan's solo shot to center gave Jones a 9-0 lead after two.
Lauren Lindsey homered for the fifth time in six games and
Carly Lewis added an RBI-double to extend the lead to 13-0 after three.
Lansing's lone hit of the game came on a one-out single by Kyla Bird in the fourth.
Craft went four innings with five strikeouts and no walks to improve to 3-1 in the circle.
Kristen Walker threw a scoreless fifth.
Sarah Ballard was 4-for-4 to lead a 14-hit attack.
Jones 10, Lansing 5
Solo home runs by
Skylar McLellan and Lindsey gave Jones a 2-0 lead after three, but the Bobcats had to rally for eight runs over the fifth and sixth innings to sweep the day.
Lansing tied the game at 2-2 in the fourth on Peyton Perrin's two-run double and took its first lead, 4-2, on Kara Mahoney's opposite field home run in the fifth.
Jones scratched back to tie the game in the fifth at 4-4 on a sac fly by Lindsey and infield single by
Lindsay Henson before Lewis' go-ahead, three-run homer to center.
Jillian Harris double and scored a run to pull Lansing within 7-5, but they would get no closer than that.
Aided by two Star errors in the sixth, Jones plated three more runs.
Hanna Zeitz went four innings in a no-decision. Henson improved to 3-0 in three innings of work, scattering three hits, three runs, three strikeouts and five walks.
The Bobcats welcome No. 1 Itawamba to The Bank on Friday for a 3 p.m. doubleheader on JCJC.TV.
