Lady Bengals begin title run

ELLISVILLE, Miss. – The Lady Bengals’ road to the NJCAA Division II softball championship may go through the toughest regional tournament.
All four teams in the region 23 tournament were ranked in the regular season final poll, led by top-ranked LSU Eunice (46-4).
“It should be a very good tournament,” LSU Eunice head coach Andy Lee said. “All four teams ranked means is could be a very competitive tournament.”
No. 10 Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (41-10) captured the 2015 MACJC state softball championship with a 9-3 win over No. 11 East Central Community College (40-10).
The No. 2-ranked Jones County Junior College (40-4) Lady Bobcats were pushed out of the Mississippi state tournament with a 2-1 loss to East Central.
Despite being ousted from the tournament, JCJC will serve as host for the Region 23 Tournament that begins today at Community Bank Park in Ellisville.
No. 2 seed LSU Eunice opens the regionals at 4 p.m. against No. 3 seed East Central.
Top-seed Mississippi Gulf Coast Jones County and host No. 4 Jones County will follow at 6 p.m. in Thursday’s finale.
“They are excited to get back on the field,” Lee said of the Lady Bengals. “We are ready to play games that really matter.”
Friday’s action begins at 2 p.m. with the loser’s bracket game followed by a winner’s bracket contest at 4 p.m.
The final game on Friday pits the loser of the winner’s bracket against the winner of the loser’s bracket game at 6 p.m.
The tournament concludes on Saturday and the top two teams from the regional will advance to the NJCAA Division II National Tournament May 13-16 at Traceway Park in Clinton.
“It is important to stay in the winner’s bracket and the key is to win two games,” Lee said of the tournament. “If we can win two, we are in the world series.”