SPARTANBURG, S.C. – It's only fitting that the best two teams in the best conference in NJCAA Division II softball get one more chance to showcase their talents on the national stage.
Jones knocked off Copiah-Lincoln this morning, 5-3, rallying with three runs in the 7th to advance to Friday night's championship game.
The Lady Wolves came out of the loser's bracket to eliminate Des Moines Area, 10-3, and then rallied in the 7th and 8th innings to beat the Bobcats 10-5 and setup a winner-take-all championship game at 9 a.m. Saturday morning.
It will be the eighth meeting between the two programs this season, including a sixth in 13 days. Co-Lin has won five of the seven.
Jones 5, Co-Lin 3
Down to their last two outs and trailing 3-2, six straight Bobcats reached base as Jones rallied for three in the top of the 7th to stun the Lady Wolves in the first game of the day.
Co-Lin struck first with an RBI-single by Belle West after an error would've ended the inning.
Aaliyah Dixon's solo home run tied the game at 1-1 in the third.
West and Dixon exchanged RBI-hits for their respective teams to tie the game again at 2-2 after five.
Madison Moak put Co-Lin back on top 3-2 after six before the Bobcat rally in the 7th.
Lauren Lindsey's RBI-single tied the game,
Kathryn Smith's single gave Jones the lead and an error made it 5-3 before Co-Lin went 1-2-3 to close out the game.
Nia Luckett went the distance, scattering two earned runs on eight hits to improve to 16-3.
Dixon finished a single shy of the cycle in a 3-for-3, two-RBI game.
Co-Lin 10, Jones 5 (8 inn.)
It was a reversal of the first game of the day, with Co-Lin rallying to tie the game on a sac fly in the 7th and then plating five in the 8th to force a winner-take-all game Saturday.
Gabby Hoffman's 12th home run of the season gave Jones a 1-0 lead and
Elise Jackson doubled to make it 2-0 after two.
Holly Craft hung three straight zeroes to start the game before running into Abby Grace Richardson who has had the sophomore's number.
Richardson hit a two-run home run to tie the game at 2-2 in the 4th and another two-run homer in the 6th to tie it again at 4-4.
Kathryn Smith's sac fly scored pinch-runner
Arin Dale and put Jones ahead 5-4 and needing three outs for the title.
But a leadoff hit-by-pitch and double quickly put the go-ahead runs on second and third with no outs for Co-Lin in the 7th. A sac fly tied the game at 5-5 to eventually force extras.
After a leadoff double for Maddie Weeks and intentional walk to Richardson, Belle West drilled a three-run home run to put the Lady Wolves on top, 8-5. An ensuing sac fly and RBI-single made it 10-5 Co-Lin.
Jones was retired in order in the 8th.
Luckett was tagged with the loss after allowing all five runs in relief of Craft in the 8th.
