Itawamba Walks Off Jones Twice in Weekend Series

Fulton, Miss. — Itawamba College staged dramatic comebacks in both games of a doubleheader against Jones College on Saturday at Roy Cresap Field. The Indians won 11-10 in the opener and 4-3 in the nightcap, both on walk-off hits.

Jones, ranked No. 4 in the NJCAA, fell to 34-15 overall and 17-9 in the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference. The Bobcats entered the games in a three-way tie for third place in the conference standings. Itawamba improved to 30-17 overall and matched Jones with a 17-9 conference record.

The first game was a high-scoring affair that saw Jones take an early lead. Dylan Champagne hit a two-run homer in the third inning, giving the Bobcats a 3-1 advantage. They extended the lead to 6-2 in the fourth, but Itawamba responded quickly. A Jones error and a two-run homer by Brody Thompson cut the deficit. The Indians tied the game in the fifth and took the lead in the sixth with back-to-back home runs, including another from Thompson.

Jones rallied in the ninth, with Gage Reeves hitting a two-run homer to tie the game and Eli Wheat pinch-hitting for a solo shot to put Jones ahead 10-9. However, Thompson’s fourth home run of the day — a walk-off, two-run shot — sealed Itawamba’s 11-10 victory, completing a comeback after the Bobcats appeared poised to win.

The nightcap followed a similar pattern but was closer throughout. Jones built a 2-0 lead in the third on RBIs from Chase Russell and Sanders Ainsworth. Itawamba responded in the fifth with a three-run homer from Cannon Graham, turning a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead. Jones tied the game in the seventh on a sacrifice fly from Kelan Guidry.

In the bottom of the seventh, Madden Butler drew a leadoff walk and later scored on a double from Butler to give Itawamba the walk-off win. The sweep leaves Jones preparing for its regular season finale Wednesday against No. 18 Northwest at 2 p.m., needing a sweep and some help to host a regional tournament.

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