Jones College beats ICC 6-2 on Eason’s go-ahead homer in Region 23 Tournament

POPLARVILLE, Miss. — No. 6 Jones College defeated No. 13 Itawamba 6-2 in the opening round of the Region 23 Tournament Sunday at Pearl River’s Wildcat Stadium.

Itawamba took an early lead in the first inning after AB Marlar drove in a run with an RBI-single. Madison Sawyer, the Jones pitcher, stranded two Lady Indians on base and limited the damage to one run. The Bobcats responded in the third, when Marlee Dampeer drew a leadoff walk and Laney Little doubled to tie the game. Mabry Eason followed with a sacrifice fly to give Jones a 2-1 advantage.

Itawamba equalized in the fourth when Ella Duhon tripled and scored on a throwing error, tying the game at 2-2. However, that was the last run the Lady Indians scored. In the fifth, Little drew a walk, and Eason hit a go-ahead homer to left-center. The ball appeared to be caught by Victoria Fields but was dropped after crashing into the fence, making it 4-2.

Farrah James added an RBI-single in the same inning, extending the lead to 5-2. Sawyer contributed an RBI-single in the sixth before closing the game with a strikeout. The Jones pitcher improved to 19-1, allowing just one earned run over seven innings and scattering six hits.

Eason led the offense with three RBIs, including her key homer. Little scored twice and set the tone throughout, while James added two hits and an RBI. Jones advances to face Pearl River in a winners’ bracket game Monday at 1 p.m. The teams split during the regular season. Tickets are available at prccathletics.com/tickets, and the game will be streamed live at prccmedia.com/gold.

Source: Original Article