Bulldogs fall to No. 7 Jones

ELLISVILLE — Mississippi Gulf Coast never got untracked in its first-round game of the NJCAA Region 23 Softball Tournament here Sunday.

The Bulldogs lost 7-0 to No. 7 Jones, the host team, to drop into the losers' bracket.

"Jones outplayed us in all facets of the game: pitching. defense, hitting, coaching," Gulf Coast coach David Kuhn said. "They just played way better than us. They threw a great game. We couldn't seem to figure out."

Gulf Coast (35-18) will play the LSU Eunice in the middle game Monday, scheduled for 4 p.m. The Bengals lost 10-2 to Pearl River in six innings in the other game Sunday. PRCC plays Jones in the 1 p.m. winners' bracket game. The loser of that game plays the winner of the Bulldogs-Bengals game.

Baleigh Tullos (Fr., Hurley/East Central) had a double, the only one of four Bulldogs hits for extra bases.

Gulf Coast pitching gave up nine hits, walked six and hit two.

Jones is now 44-8.

The Bulldogs will have to win four straight games to claim a region title. It will have to start Monday at 4 p.m.

"We just have to take it one pitch at a time tomorrow," Kuhn said. "We have to come and have some fun, try to stay alive. We've just got to play better."

NJCAA Region 23 Softball Championship

May 3-6

Ellisville

Play-in Game

Saturday

No. 7 Gulf Coast 8, No. 10 East Mississippi 0

Sunday

Game 1: No. 2 Jones 7, No. 7 Gulf Coast 0

Game 2: No. 6 Pearl River 10, No. 3 LSU Eunice 2 (6 innings)

Monday

Game 3: Jones vs. Pearl River, 1 p.m.

Game 4: Gulf Coast vs. LSU Eunice, 4 p.m.

Game 5: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner, 7 p.m.

Tuesday

Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 2 p.m.

Game 7: Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser, 5 p.m. (if necessary)

For more information on MGCCC's 12 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.