WESSON – Every break went Northeast's way on Wednesday in the opening game of the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament.
The Tigers (32-20) turned three double plays, got the benefit of an overturned call at the plate and tripled to score a run when a Bobcat outfielder slipped, all of which led to Northeast's 3-1 upset win over No. 4 Jones.
The loss snapped a five-game winning streak over the Tigers and sends Jones (43-11) into a must-win game Thursday at 2:30 against the host Co-Lin Wolves. The two teams will play for a fourth time in a week.
Fans can watch Thursday's game at
colinathletics.com/general/live_stream.
Nia Luckett had a 13-strikeout performance spoiled en route to setting a new school record with 357 career strikeouts.
Tia'Rain Saunders' sac fly gave Jones a 1-0 lead in the second. The Bobcats would strand four on base through the first three innings to keep it a one-run game.
The turning point came in the bottom of the third inning.
Carly Lewis singled to center and appeared to score Luckett for a 2-0 lead. The home plate umpire signaled safe on Luckett's slide, however, at the urging of Tiger pitcher Cassidy Duskin to her catcher Emme Muizers, tagged Luckett again and she was called out. It set off a near six-minute argument from head coach
Chris Robinson, but to no avail.
Northeast's leadoff batter in the fourth reached on an error, and then
Aaliyah Dixon slipped in right field that allowed Demi Lindsey to triple and tie the game. Charly Clanton hit a sac fly a batter later to make it 2-1 Tigers.
Northeast loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth but was held to an RBI-single to extend the lead to 3-1 after six.
Jones got the tying runs on in the seventh with only one out, but Luckett flied into a game-ending 9-5-6 double play. She missed a walk-off homer by a mere two feet.
Luckett and Lewis combined for all four Bobcat hits, a season-low against the Tigers.
Duskin (16-7) went the full seven innings, scattering four hits, one run, three walks and two strikeouts.
Luckett (16-5) allowed two earned runs on five hits with 13 punch outs and two walks.
