ELLISVILLE – No. 4 Jones College attempted to do something no other team had done in conference tournament history: win three games on Saturday to win the MACCC Tournament.
 
They came up one run short.
 
No. 5 Copiah-Lincoln edged the Bobcats 4-3 in the championship game here Saturday night at Community Bank Park/Gwen Magee Field.
 
Jones had eliminated Northeast 11-1 in five innings in the day's first game and then knocked off Co-Lin 12-8 to force a winner-take-all title contest.
 
The Bobcats (43-10) will now compete in the Region 23 Tournament May 11-14 at Co-Lin. Jones, Co-Lin (41-8), Northeast, Northwest, Itawamba and LSU Eunice will comprise the tournament field. The bracket will be released on Monday.
 
Co-Lin 4, Jones 3
 
It was a tense game throughout and the Wolves were able to pull out the win.
 
Co-Lin took a 3-0 lead in the first inning when Faith Kivett and Madi Miller led off with singles and Maddie Weeks followed with a three-run home run to right-center. It was her third home run of the day.
 
The Bobcats tied it at 3-3 in the third when Kathryn Smith (Luling, Louisiana) reached on a two-out infield single and Tia'Rain Saunders (Choctaw Central) walked. Aaliyah Dixon (Hillcrest Christian) followed with a line drive home run over the right field wall – her 13th blast of the season – to tie the game at 3-3.
 
It remained that way until the fifth.
 
With one out, Kivett singled and with two outs, Weeks drew a walk. Madalynn Wilkinson then singled to center to score Kivett with what would prove to be the game-winning run.
 
Meanwhile, Co-Lin pitcher Cera Blanchard kept the Bobcats at bay. She retired the final 10 Bobcats in order to secure the win.
 
Dixon homered for Jones with Sarah Ballard (Purvis), Lauren Lindsey (Mobile, Alabama), Smith and Holly Craft (Raleigh) adding singles.
 
Craft went 6.0 innings and got the loss, falling to 9-3. She gave up four runs, seven hits, walked two and struck out two.
 
Blanchard went all 7.0 innings and grabbed the win, improving to 24-4. She gave up three runs, five hits, walked five and struck out five.
 
Weeks homered, Mary Ansley Chrestman doubled and singled and Kivett singled twice. Miller and Wilkinson added singles.
 
Jones 12, Co-Lin 8
 
The Bobcats pounded out 14 hits to beat the Wolves and force the deciding game.
 
The Wolves took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first and Jones got a run in the bottom of the first on a Lindsay Henson (Lawrenceburg, Indiana) single.
 
Jones tied at 3-3 in the third on a two-run home run by Sydney Pevey (Lawrence County).
 
The Bobcats took the lead for good with a three-run fourth as Nia Luckett (Philadelphia) had an RBI single and Lindsey delivered a two-run single.
 
Weeks slugged a two-run home run in the fifth to make it 6-5.
 
Jones then then sent 11 batters to the plate and scored six runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 12-5 lead. 
 
Lindsey had an RBI single and with two outs, Carly Lewis (Jackson Prep), Smith, Pevey, Saunders and Dixon followed with consecutive RBI singles.
 
The Wolves scored three runs in the seventh and got the tying run to the on-deck circle, but a fly out to right ended the game.
 
Luckett went 6.2 innings and grabbed the win, upping her record to 16-4. She gave up eight runs (five earned), 12 hits, walked six and struck five. Henson got the final out for her third save of the year.
 
Pevey homered, singled and had three RBIs. Lindsey singled twice and had three RBIs and Luckett and Saunders each had two singles. Ballard, Henson, Lewis, Smith and Dixon added singles.
 
Weeks homered twice, singled and drove in three runs. Miller and Josie Meggs had two singles each with Kivett, Wilkinson, Shelbie Maxwell, Lila Blackburn and Chrestman adding singles.
 
Starter Belle West went 4.0 innings and took the loss, dropping her record to 17-3. She allowed six runs, eight hits, walked three and struck out six. Wilkinson pitched 2.0 innings, giving up six runs, six hits, two walks and notched a strikeout.
 
Jones 11, Northeast 1 – 5 inn.
 
The Bobcats scored three runs in each of the game's first three innings to take control.
 
Lindsey had a two-run single and Lewis had an RBI single in the first to make it 3-0. Ballard had an RBI double and Lewis had a two-run single to make 6-0 in the second. In the third, Dixon had an RBI single and Ballard had a two-run inside-the-park home run into the left field corner to put the Bobcats up 9-0.
 
Skylar McLellan's (Brandon) RBI single made it 10-0 in the fourth.
 
The Tigers scored in the bottom of the fourth and Jones closed the scoring in the fifth when Iris Farve (Clinton Christian Academy) homered over the right field wall.
 
Luckett went the first 2.0 innings and was credited with the win, allowing no run, two hits, a walk and posting four strikeouts. Hanna Zeitz (Clinton Christian Academy) pitched 2.0 innings, allowing one run, two hits, two walks and two strikeouts. Kristen Walker (Leake Academy) pitched the final inning, gave up a hit, a walk and got two strikeouts.
 
Bailey Smith doubled for the Tigers with Briley Pitt, Cassidy Duskin, Alexie Griffin and Albanie Windham adding singles.
 
Keegan Hubbard went 1.0 innings, allowed five runs, six hits, walked two, struck out one and took the loss, dropping to 6-8. Pitt pitched 2.0 innings and gave up five runs, four hits, walked three and struck out one. Allie Windham tossed 2.0 innings and allowed one run, two hits, walked one and struck out one.
 
The Tigers are now 31-20.