POPLARVILLE, Miss. — Jones College secured the regional championship with a 13-0, five-inning win over Pearl River on Thursday night at Dub Herring Park, advancing to the NJCAA Division II World Series. The Bobcats went 3-0 in the tournament, outscoring the Wildcats 15-1 over the final two games.
Jones, ranked No. 13 nationally, handed Pearl River, the top-ranked team, its second home loss of the season. The Bobcats’s victory followed a 2-1 win in the previous game that knocked Pearl River into the loser’s bracket. Jones (38-16) now prepares for the NJCAA Region 23 Super Regional, scheduled for May 13-15 against the winner of the Decatur Regional.
Freshman right-hander Drew Lambert pitched a complete-game shutout, allowing just two hits and striking out six across five innings. Pearl River never advanced a runner past second base. Starter Dalton Graham kept the game scoreless until the second inning, when Jones took a 3-0 lead on a two-run single by Warren Hutchinson and an error by the Wildcats.
The Bobcats broke the game open during a dominant fourth inning, sending 14 batters to the plate. Brayson Graham started with a solo homer, and Kelan Guidry hit a three-run blast that pushed the lead to 13-0. Guidry finished with four RBIs, Hutchinson and Chase Russell drove in two each, and Reeves scored twice. Jones benefited from three Pearl River errors and four hit batters during the game.
Jones needed just seven hits to score its 13 runs and never trailed in either game during the regional. The team now moves forward with momentum and a chance to compete for a spot in the World Series next week.
