ELLISVILLE – Sixth-ranked Jones College and fifth-ranked Copiah-Lincoln split a high-powered MACCC doubleheader Tuesday at Community Bank Park, adding another chapter to a tightly contested rivalry that now stands at 16–14 in favor of Co-Lin over the last 30 meetings.
The Bobcats got another
Madison Sawyer complete-game performance to win the opener 5-3 and nearly rallied late to come-from-behind in the nightcap in a 9-6 loss.
Jones travels to Coahoma on Thursday and then returns home on Saturday, April 11 to host East Mississippi at 1 o'clock.
Jones College 5, Copiah-Lincoln 3
Behind another dominant outing from Sawyer, Jones College took the opener by controlling the middle innings and capitalizing on timely hitting.
Sawyer dazzled yet again, improving to 15–1 on the season with a complete-game performance. She scattered just three hits, struck out 10, and allowed only two big swings—a two-run homer in the third and a solo shot in the sixth.
Jones struck first in the opening inning when Sawyer helped her own cause with an RBI-single up the middle to plate
Claire Andersen.
After Copiah-Lincoln briefly grabbed a 2–1 lead on Emilie Williams' two-run homer in the third, the Bobcats responded emphatically in the fourth.
Jones sent nine hitters to the plate and scored four runs, fueled by RBIs from Andersen,
Annaston Tate,
Mabry Eason and
Mary Kimble Price. The rally turned a one-run deficit into a 5–2 advantage.
Jones outhit Co-Lin 7–3, with
Addy Shorter leading the way with two hits, while Andersen scored twice and reached base three times.
Addison Lindley fell to 14-3 for the Lady Wolves, allowing four runs on four hits in 3.1.
Copiah-Lincoln 9, Jones College 6
The nightcap flipped the script, as Copiah-Lincoln used a big early surge and power hitting to salvage the split.
Co-Lin took control in the second and third innings, scoring five unearned runs on defensive miscues. A two-run second inning was followed by a three-run third in which Jones errors were the difference.
Brelie Phillips delivered the biggest blow of the game, going 3-for-3 with two home runs and four RBIs, including a solo shot in the fourth and a two-run blast in the fifth that pushed the lead to 9–1.
Jones showed fight late, however, after being down to its final three outs and on the verge of being run-ruled in the fifth.
Price got the offense started with a solo homer in the third and the Bobcats got four solo home runs overall. Eason hit two long balls, while Sawyer and Tate also went deep as Jones chipped away.
The Bobcats scored twice in the sixth and added another in the seventh, but couldn't overcome the early deficit despite out-hitting Co-Lin 11–9.
Lily Crum earned the win for Copiah-Lincoln, while
Breelyn Cain took the loss for Jones, though only four of the nine runs she allowed were earned.
Abigail Lindsey did a nice job in relief for Jones to keep it in striking distance, allowing just one hit with four strikeouts over the final two frames.
Marlee Dampeer was 3-for-3 with an RBI-double and Eason added three hits.
