Hinds Community College was in the losers’ bracket at the NJCAA Region XXIII tournament Saturday, but riding high after beating Itawamba Community College.

Then, the Eagles ran smack into a brick wall.

LSU-Eunice scored 11 runs in the first three innings — eight of them in the third — and beat Hinds 17-0 to win the Region XXIII title Saturday.

LSU-Eunice improved its season record to 52-4 with its third rout of a Mississippi team in the region tournament. The Bengals outscored Itawamba, Mississippi Gulf Coast and Hinds 45-0.

Hinds had extended its season with a 3-2 win over Itawamba earlier Saturday, but ran out of gas while playing its fourth game in three days. Had it won Saturday night, Hinds still would have had to beat LSU-Eunice again today to win the tournament.

The Eagles, who won the Mississippi state championship last week, finished the season with a 36-18 record.