POPLARVILLE – No. 13 Jones College is two wins away from Enid, Okla., and the NJCAA Division II World Series after going 3-0 to win the Poplarville Regional this week at top-ranked Pearl River.
One day after winning a 2-1 pitcher's duel to knock PRCC into the loser's bracket, the Bobcats returned to Dub Herring Park on Thursday night and delivered an even louder statement – a 13-0, five-inning rout of the Wildcats to capture the regional championship and punch their ticket to the NJCAA Region 23 Super Regional May 13-15 against the winner of the Decatur Regional.
Jones (38-16) outscored the nation's No. 1 team 15-1 over the final two games of the regional, handing Pearl River (46-11) two of its five home losses on the season.
Behind a dominant complete-game shutout from sophomore right-hander Drew Lambert (5-2) and an explosive 10-run fourth inning, the Bobcats left no doubt.
Lambert was electric from the opening pitch, allowing just two hits across five shutout innings while striking out six. The Wildcats never advanced a runner past second base.
Pearl River starter Dalton Graham kept the game scoreless through the first inning before Jones broke through in the second.
Talan Theriot started the rally with a single and Gage Reeves followed with a base hit of his own. After a pair of hit batters loaded the bases, Warren Hutchinson ripped a two-run single to center to give the Bobcats a 3-0 advantage. An outfield error allowed Jones to keep pressure on the Wildcats throughout the inning.
Lambert and the Bobcats took over from there.
Jones put the game completely out of reach during a chaotic fourth inning that saw the Bobcats send 14 batters to the plate.
Brayson Graham opened the frame with a 389-foot solo homer to straight-away center. Moments later, Reeves and Hutchinson helped fuel another rally before Chase Russell delivered a two-run single into the gap in right-center to make it 5-0.
The inning only snowballed from there.
Theriot drew a bases-loaded walk, a Pearl River error plated another run, and with two aboard, Kelan Guidry crushed a three-run homer to left field that brought the Jones dugout to life and stretched the lead to 13-0.
Guidry finished with four RBIs, while Hutchinson and Russell each drove in two. Reeves scored twice, Quick crossed the plate three times and the Bobcats capitalized on three Pearl River errors and four hit batters.
Jones needed just seven hits to score its 13 runs and never trailed in either victory over the Wildcats during the final two days of the regional.
Now, Jones moves on with momentum and a chance to continue its postseason surge in next week's Super Regional.
If Northwest wins the Decatur Regional, the Bobcats would host the Rangers next week. If either East Central or Itawamba come out of that regional, the Bobcats would travel.
