Northeast eliminates Jones from Region 23 Tournament with 8-2 win

Northeast defeated Jones College 8-2 in the Region 23 Tournament on Monday night at Pearl River’s Wildcat Stadium. The Tigers, ranked No. 20, improved to 41-15 and will face host Pearl River Community College in Tuesday’s regional final at 2 p.m.

Jones, ranked No. 6, fell to 46-10 and will wait until May 12 to see if it receives an at-large bid to the NJCAA Division II World Series in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Northeast set the tone early, scoring in the first inning after a leadoff double by Leah Walker. Chloe Skelton’s sacrifice fly pushed across the game’s first run. In the second, Kendall Bragg doubled to left field, driving in two runs and giving the Tigers a 3-0 lead.

Jones struggled to find rhythm against Northeast pitcher Tatum Berry, who kept the Bobcats off balance and benefited from solid defense, including a double play in the fourth inning. Northeast added another run in the fourth when Bragg singled to center, making it 4-0.

The Bobcats showed signs of life in the fifth inning. Madison Sawyer opened with a single, and Jones loaded the bases with no outs. Makynlee Dickerson delivered a two-run single to cut the deficit to 4-2. However, back-to-back fielder’s choices ended the rally and kept it a two-run game.

The decisive moment came in the sixth. After loading the bases, Sophie Gant hit a grand slam to right field, turning the game into an 8-2 rout. Berry (6-2) pitched the distance, allowing six hits and two runs while limiting Jones to 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

Bragg led Northeast offensively, going 3-for-3 with three RBIs. Gant’s grand slam was the highlight of the night. For Jones, Claire Andersen had two hits, and Dickerson drove in both runs. Jones pitcher Sawyer, 19-2, suffered her first loss since March 1, walking a season-high nine batters and allowing eight runs on five hits.

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