ELLISVILLE – Jones is headed back to the NJCAA Division II Softball World Series for an eighth time in 11 seasons. 

The Bobcats thumped Copiah-Lincoln, 10-2, in five innings thanks to an eight-run fifth inning and punched their ticket to the Region 23 Championship Game set for noon Monday.

Region 23 gets two bids, with both teams in the championship game advancing to Spartanburg, South Carolina, May 23-27.

Jones will play the winner of Pearl River/Co-Lin who play at 4:15 Sunday.

Carly Lewis stayed hot at the plate and helped Jones take a 1-0 lead in the first. Nia Luckett was hit by a pitch, stole second, moved over on a fly out and then scored on Lewis' single.

A passed ball with two outs in the second made it 2-0 Bobcats after two.

Co-Lin tied the game at 2-2 with back-to-back RBI-singles in the fifth from Maddie Weeks and Abby Grace Richardson.

But Jones immediately answered and didn't give the Wolves a chance to bat again.

Lauren Lindsey led off the Bobcats' half of the fifth with a solo homer, Lewis doubled and Gabby Hoffman doubled to push it back to 5-2. Meg Gatlin's RBI-groundout made it 6-2. Luckett then homered to straight-away center.

After a Co-Lin pitching change, back-to-back walks put the winning runs on. 

Lewis singled to score Aaliyah Dixon and pinch-runner Tia'Rain Saunders scored from third after a throwing error by the Co-Lin catcher for the walk-off winner.

Holly Craft won her 17th straight game in the circle, scattering five hits, two runs and six strikeouts. 

Lewis was 3-for-4 as Jones out-hit Co-Lin 9-5.