Iowa Central eliminates Jones College with strong pitching and key errors
ENID, Okla. — Jones College’s baseball season concluded Monday afternoon with a 7-1 loss to Iowa Central in an elimination game at the NJCAA Division II World Series at David Allen Ballpark. The Bobcats finished 41-18, marking their first appearance in the national tournament since 2016 and their first region title in a decade, according to the school.
Iowa Central (51-11) took an early lead, with Jack Ratcliffe hitting a leadoff solo home run off Jones starter Brayson Graham in the first inning. The Tritons added three more runs in the second, capitalizing on two Bobcat errors. With Ben Jones singled and Wyatt Myers and Will Specht drawing walks, Ratcliffe delivered again with an RBI walk. Two runs scored on a throwing error by the catcher during the sequence, and Specht scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-0.
Jones threatened throughout the game but couldn’t capitalize. The Bobcats stranded 11 runners and hit into two inning-ending double plays. Their best opportunity came in the fourth, when Dylan Champagne and Talan Theriot singled with one out, but Iowa Central turned a double play to escape the jam.
The Tritons extended their lead to 5-0 in the fourth after Wyatt Myers doubled and scored on an error following a single by Specht. Jones pitcher Trevor Hodges, the MACCC Pitcher of the Year, settled down after allowing five runs over three innings, four of which were unearned, and struck out four in five relief innings.
Jones finally scored in the eighth. Chase Russell walked, moved to second on a wild pitch, and advanced to third on a groundout. Gage Reeves then lined an RBI single, cutting the deficit to 5-1. Iowa Central responded immediately, with Ben Jones reaching on an error, Myers doubling, and Specht adding an RBI single. Sam Sejnoha drove in the final run with a sacrifice fly.
The Bobcats mounted a late threat in the ninth when Kelan Guidry walked and Eli Wheat singled, but reliever Sean Stewart retired the final two batters to end the game. Champagne and Wheat led Jones with two hits each, while Reeves drove in the team’s only run. Graham took the loss after allowing five runs, three earned, over three innings.
Giesen earned the win for Iowa Central, limiting Jones to one run over eight innings. The Tritons move on in the tournament, ending Jones’ season.
Source: Original Article
