POPLARVILLE, Miss. — An 18-8 loss in the opener put No. 2 Pearl River in an early hole Friday, but by the end of the night — none of that mattered. Against NJCAA Division I No. 19 Gulf Coast State, the Wildcats had a hero once again — and for the second time in seven days, it was Jackson Beddoe (Sulphur, La.).
All even at six runs apiece in the bottom of the seventh, the freshman shuffled his way into the box with two outs and a 1-2 count. The Commodores’ pitcher tried to put him away with a breaking ball, but Beddoe deposited the hanging pitch over the left-field wall, sending the PRCC dugout and home crowd into a frenzy with a walk-off blast for a 7-6 win.
“I was late on the heaters at first, and I knew I’d have the timing down if I got another — so I expected him to spin me something,” Beddoe said. “I was able to get the bat there and help our team win. It was a crazy feeling. I knew I got the ball well, but I completely blacked out as I rounded the bases.”
“For February baseball, that was really intense,” head coach Michael Avalon said. “That’s a physical team and their two-strike approach was really good. No matter how ugly the first one was, we leave the day 1-1. We will come out tomorrow and battle it out once again.”
GAME ONE
Pearl River (8-2 overall) fell behind early against Gulf Coast State (5-9), surrendering four runs in the top of the first inning. The Wildcats answered with two in the bottom half when Jackson Hood (Madison; Germantown) doubled and later scored on Chap Cook’s (Canton; Canton Academy) two-run home run to left field, trimming the deficit to 4-2.
The Commodores pulled away with two runs in each of the second and third innings before breaking the game open with an eight-run fourth to take firm control, 16-2. PRCC scratched across two runs in the fifth as Ethan Garner (Gulfport) was hit by a pitch, Nico Williams (Gulfport) doubled, and Cook drove in a run before Williams scored on a wild pitch.
Gulf Coast State added single runs in the sixth and seventh to extend its lead to 18-4, but the Wildcats closed the scoring with four runs in the bottom of the seventh. Kyler King (Picayune) doubled home a run, Landon Hawkins (Sumrall) followed with an RBI single, and Abel Thetford (Bossier City, La.; Parkway) capped the rally with a two-run double to make it 18-8.
Cook led PRCC offensively, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs and a home run. Hood finished 2-for-2 with two doubles, while Hawkins added a 2-for-2 performance.
Fontenelle started and worked one inning. JP Abt (Brandon; Hartfield Academy) tossed two innings in relief, allowing two runs. Gabe Hodges (Flowood; Northwest Rankin) threw 2 1/3 innings, Wilkes Johnson (Jackson; Madison-Ridgeland Academy) worked the final frame, and Trace McDonald (Sandy Hook; West Marion) recorded two outs.
GAME TWO
Drew Harrison (Madison; Germantown) set the tone early with a scoreless first inning and escaped trouble in the second thanks to strong defense. With two runners aboard, Hood tracked down a ball in center field and fired home to cut down a runner at the plate, keeping the game scoreless.
The teams traded runs in the third. Gulf Coast State capitalized on a Pearl River miscue before PRCC answered when Jackson Beddoe (Sulphur, La.) singled and scored on a Hood blooper into right field to tie the game at one.
The Commodores pushed across two runs in the fifth to grab a 3-1 lead, but Landon Watts (Picayune) came out of the bullpen and limited the damage, striking out three to end the inning.
Pearl River flipped the game in the bottom half. Garner reached on an error and scored on a Cook single before another defensive miscue put two Wildcats in scoring position. Jackson Estes (Madison; Germantown) ripped a ball into right field for a two-run double that rolled to the wall, and Thetford followed with an RBI double to give PRCC a 5-3 advantage.
The Wildcats added insurance in the sixth as Hood walked, Clements singled and Cook delivered another RBI base hit to extend the lead to 6-3. Gulf Coast State battled back in the seventh, scoring three runs to tie the game, but Colin Jenkins (Mt. Olive; Simpson Academy) entered and needed just one pitch to record the final out.
The fireworks came in the bottom of the seventh. After the first two Wildcats struck out, Beddoe stepped to the plate and crushed a walk-off solo home run to lift Pearl River to a dramatic 7-6 victory.
Harrison went four innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits while striking out four. Watts threw 2 2/3 innings with six strikeouts. Jenkins recorded the final out.
Beddoe finished 2-for-3 with two runs, an RBI and the game-winning home run. Cook went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, and Estes drove in two runs on his lone hit.
NEXT UP
The Wildcats and Commodores play the rubber match at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
TICKETS
Season and single-game tickets are on sale now at PRCCAthletics.com/Tickets. Season tickets are $120. Single-game tickets are $9 if purchased in advance or $11 if purchased on game day.
TUNE IN
All home Pearl River baseball games are livestreamed for free at PRCCMedia.com/Gold. Fans with Roku, Amazon Fire or Apple TV devices can also watch the Wildcat broadcasts by downloading the "Pearl River CC" channel from their app stores.
Games will also be available over the air in Pearl River County by tuning into 1320-AM and 106.9 FM. The radio broadcast is also available at WRJWRadio.com and by downloading the WRJW app.
For the latest on Pearl River Community College athletics, follow us on X (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).
