Melendrez, Lee sweep MACJC weekly awards

PERKINSTON – No. 3 Mississippi Gulf Coast swept the MACJC weekly awards for the second time this season, with center fielder Hannah Melendrez winning Player of the Week and Kaitlin Lee winning her sixth Pitcher of the Week award of the season.

Hannah Melendrez blasted three home runs while going 5-for-8. She added a double, driving in seven runs in four games.

The sophomore from DeSoto Central slugged 1.875 and had a 2.625 OPS. She hit two homers and drove in three runs in a 4-2 win over Co-Lin, then hit another dinger in the second game, a 16-4 victory, to extend her home run streak to three games.

Melendrez is riding an eight-game hitting streak, raising her batting average to .432.

Lee has won half of the state's weekly awards this season, and has twice won NJCAA Division II Pitcher of the Week.

The sophomore right-hander from Harrison Central didn't allow an earned run in posting a 2-0 record with a save. She entered with two on and no outs in the sixth inning against Co-Lin and got a double play and pop up on the way to a save.

Lee earned the win in the second game, then opened the MACJC first-round playoff series with a two-hitter against East Mississippi.

The No. 3 Lady Bulldogs (43-3) play Friday in the opening game of the MACJC Tournament in Ellisville. They face No. 7 Itawamba (39-8) at 4 p.m.

Host Jones (39-6), the fifth-ranked team in the country, plays East Central (42-7) in the second game Friday.

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