ELLISVILLE – Fifth-ranked Copiah-Lincoln never trailed and held off No. 4 Jones College 7-6 Friday evening in a winner's bracket game of the MACCC Tournament.
Jones (41-9) will now play Northeast at 1 p.m. Saturday in an elimination game here at Community Bank Park/Gwen Magee Field. Northeast ousted Northwest 19-18 in 12 innings in a game that last almost five hours and ended at 1:15 a.m. Saturday morning.
The winner of the 1 p.m. contest must defeat Co-Lin (40-7) twice to win the conference championship.
In Friday's other elimination games, No. 13 Northwest beat No. 6 Itawamba 8-5 in 10 innings and Northeast defeated Pearl River, 7-1.
Co-Lin got off to a quick start when Faith Kivett walked, Madi Miller singled and Madalyn Wilkinson blasted a three-run home run to left-center to make it 3-0 in the top of the first inning.
The Bobcats got on the board in the third when
Aaliyah Dixon (Hillcrest Christian) doubled and scored on
Sydney Pevey's (Lawrence County) single.
Lindsay Henson (Lawrenceburg, Indiana) drove in Pevey with a double to make it 3-2.
The Wolves regained the three-run advantage in the fourth.
Josie Meggs singled and advanced to second on a passed ball. Mary Ansley Chrestman reached on an error and Meggs scored on the play. Kivett followed with an RBI double to make it 5-2.
Co-Lin took a 6-2 lead in the fifth when Shelbi Maxwell reached on a bunt single with two outs and Meggs doubled to left-center to drive in the run.
In the bottom of the fifth,
Sarah Ballard (Purvis), Pevey and
Lauren Lindsey (Mobile, Alabama) started the inning with consecutive singles. After Henson lined out,
Carly Lewis (Jackson Prep) singled up the middle to drive in Ballard and Pevey scored when obstruction was called to make it 6-4. But a pop out and a ground out ended the inning.
The Wolves made it 7-4 in the sixth when Chrestman and Kivett led off with singles and Miller advanced the runners on a sacrifice bunt. Maddie Weeks' sacrifice fly to right drove in Chrestman.
In the bottom of the sixth, Tai'Rain Saunders (Choctaw Central) led off with a single and Dixon followed with her 12th home run of the season to make it 7-6. Ballard then drew a walk, but a ground out, strikeout and fly out ended the inning.
The Bobcats were retired in order in the bottom of the seventh.
Starter
Holly Craft (Raleigh) went 6.0 innings and was tagged with the loss, falling to 9-2. She allowed seven runs (five earned), nine hits, walked one and struck out six.
Nia Luckett (Philadelphia) pitched a perfect seventh inning.
Dixon homered and doubled with Pevey and Lewis each getting two singles. Henson doubled with Ballard, Lindsey, Craft and Saunders adding singles.
Starter Cera Blanchard went 5.0 innings and got the win, improving to 23-4. She allowed six runs, 11 hits, one walk and struck out four. Belle West tossed the final 2.0 innings and got her first save of the year. She allowed no hits, walked one and struck out two.
Kivett and Meggs each doubled and singled and Wilkinson homered and had three RBIs. Miller, Weeks, Maxwell and Chrestman added singles.
