No. 21 Indians split with top-ranked Jones

FULTON, Miss. – The No. 21 Indians earned a split with No. 1 Jones College on Friday.

Game 1: Indians 6, Bobcats 5

The Indians used a trio of home runs on their way to a 6-5 game one victory over Jones.

Taylar Shands got ICC on the board first in the bottom of the first inning with a three-run home run. In the third, Shands found her second home run of the contest, scoring two runs and making it a 5-0 advantage for the Indians.

The Bobcats answered with a run in the fourth, but the Indians got a run back in the fifth when AB Marlar hit a solo home run to put ICC up 6-1 through five.

Jones scored another run in the sixth and added three in the seventh, but the Indians held on for the 6-5 victory.

Alyssa Clifft picked up the win for ICC as she picked up four strikeouts while giving up five runs (two earned) on nine hits over six innings in the circle.

Marlar led with three hits while Shands and Joryie McKnight added two.

Game 2: Bobcats 10, Indians 4

The Indians dropped game two of Friday's doubleheader with Jones in a 10-4 decision.

The Bobcats opened the contest with five runs in the top of the first inning and ICC answered in the bottom half when AB Marlar grounded out to score Maddie Porter.

Jones then scored a run in each of the next three innings to go up 8-1 through four.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Indians answered when Maddie McClendon doubled to score Sadie Stegall and Porter. Stegall doubled in the bottom of the sixth to score Ella Duhon.

Jones added two more runs in the top of the seventh on their way to the 10-4 win over the Indians in game two.

Ella Lilly was the pitcher of record for ICC, picking up three strikeouts in a complete-game effort.

Stegall collected two hits to lead the Indians at the plate while McClendon batted in a team-best two runs.