Jones keeps unbeaten slate

Josh Jones pitched six shutout innings in University of West Alabama Tigers’s 8-0 win over the Shorter University Hawks last Sunday at the Gulf State Conference at UWA’s Tart Field. (Contributed Photo)

Former Saipan Little League standout Josh Jones pitched six shutout innings in start to lead the University of West Alabama Tigers to an 8-0 blanking of the Shorter University Hawks in last Sunday’s game in the Gulf State Conference at UWA’s Tart Field.

Jones, according to the UWA athletics website, gave up seven hits with no walks and nine strikeouts to earn his sixth win and help the Tigers complete a three-game sweep of the Hawks.

The Tigers’ senior hurler has now worked a total of 14 shutout innings after also tossing eight in UWA’s 3-0 win against the West Florida Argonauts last April 10. He allowed only one run and walked no batter in a total of 23 innings pitched.

Austin Sanders relieved Jones in the seventh where the former pitched two scoreless innings, allowing a hit and striking out two, while Daniel Cromer closed out for the Tigers to complete the win.

UWA coach Gary Rundles praised Jones’ impressive pitching. “Josh has been lights out for the last couple of weeks. The biggest thing is he hasn’t walked anybody since March 9. I’m proud of all my pitchers.”

Tigers’ pitchers have surrendered only two runs in 31 innings in their three-game series with the Hawks to lower their ERA to 3.10. They also allowed two runs in the last 40 innings.

Last year, the lefty Jones appeared in nine games where he started in seven for a 5-1 record and 3.215 ERA. He had a total of 44.1 innings pitched, giving up 16 earned runs on 41 hits with 15 walks and 37 strikeouts. Opposing batters hit .248 against him and only one scored a home run versus the lefty pitcher.

Jones is having an impressive performance at UWA after moving from Colby Community College Trojans where he posted a 42-21 record. He went 5-1 with a 2.80 ERA with 56 strikeouts in 54.2 innings pitched and helped the Trojans win the 2013 championship. Jones, in his rookie year with the Trojans, compiled a 6-4 card with a 3.25 ERA, striking out 73 in tossing 80.1 innings.

The UWA pitcher was also the 2011 Northern Marianas Sports Association Male Athlete of the Year after he towed the CNMI national team to a gold medal win in the 2011 Pacific Games in New Caledonia. He won all five games he started in New Caledonia, including a shutout victory over 2007 champion Palau.

Jones, in the 2011 Pacific Games, tossed for 30.2 innings with 42 strikeouts and an impressive 0.11 ERA. Before the New Caledonia Games, he was also part of the CNMI team that won the gold medal in the 2010 Micronesian Games.

The 23-year-old Jones, the eldest child of John and Julieta, is majoring in political science. He has two other siblings, Jasmine (18) and Jaycie (17).