POPLARVILLE, Miss. — The No. 3 Pearl River baseball team turned in early fireworks and late-game heroics Saturday afternoon to sweep East Mississippi. The Wildcats took game one 11-7 before winning the nightcap 4-3.
"From start to finish, I thought they (East Mississippi) swung the bats extremely well. In the first inning, they were squaring everything up, and we were able to make plays behind him," head coach Michael Avalon said. "We managed to spread the ball around and hit it where they weren't. We saw some good things today, as well as some things we need to improve on.
I reminded these guys that every game matters if we want to be conference champions. We have to understand that the energy has to be there, and we can't have those lulls if we want to win a title. We still have a long way to go, but these things matter."
GAME ONE
Pearl River (25-7 overall; 7-1 MACCC) jumped out of the gates with a fireworks display, scoring four first-inning runs on three towering home runs against East Mississippi (11-20; 5-3).
Leadoff hitter Gatlin Pitts (Fairhope, Ala.; Bayside Academy) sent a 1-2 pitch over the scoreboard to start the rally. Jackson Estes (Madison; Germantown) drew a walk before Coy Clements (Hattiesburg; Oak Grove) blasted a 415-foot two-run homer over the 20-foot left-field wall — his 14th of the season. Abel Thetford (Bossier City, La.; Parkway) followed with a solo shot in the first inning to put the Wildcats up 4-0.
Pearl River added four more in the second. Landon Hawkins (Sumrall) doubled into the left-center gap, scored on Pitts' infield single, and Pitts promptly swiped second and third, crossing the plate on a catcher's error. Following a Clements single, Chap Cook (Canton; Canton Academy) launched a two-run homer, extending the lead to 8-0.
EMCC answered with two runs in the fourth, but Cook blasted another solo homer in the bottom half, making it 9-2. The Lions fought back, cutting the deficit to 9-7 and making the game tense. Needing insurance for the ninth, Pearl River got it from Clements once again. The Southern Miss transfer crushed a 96-mph fastball 401 feet over the stadium wall, sending the ball off the bat at 109 mph. The two-run homer gave PRCC an 11-7 lead and effectively put the game out of reach.
Colin Jenkins (Mt. Olive; Simpson Academy) closed the game on 14 pitches in the ninth to secure the win. Dalton Graham (Conehatta; Newton County) tossed four innings, allowing two runs on four hits with two strikeouts and no walks. Busby allowed two runs (one earned) over two innings, and Tyrese Johnson (West Point) gave up two runs in one inning. Jenkins earned a two-inning save, allowing one run on four hits with two strikeouts.
Clements went 4-for-5 with four RBIs, three runs, and two homers. Pitts finished 3-for-5 with two RBIs, three runs, and two stolen bases. Cook added three hits with three RBIs and two homers, while Hawkins had two hits in three at-bats.
GAME TWO
The script flipped in game two, as runs were at a premium. EMCC jumped out to a 2-0 lead with an RBI single in the first and a sacrifice fly in the third.
The Wildcats' bats came alive in the bottom of the third. Colton Strange (Yukon, Okla.) hit a 386-foot leadoff homer with his family in the stands. Pitts walked and scored on a wild pitch, tying the game at 2-2. Clements then doubled home Estes to give Pearl River a 3-2 advantage.
Both teams went scoreless for three innings before EMCC tied it again in the sixth. Landon Watts (Picayune) came out of the bullpen and immediately forced a ground ball to the middle. Pitts ranged left, slid to make the stop, and flipped to Jackson Beddoe (Sulphur, La.) at second, who completed a perfect double play with an off-balance throw to first. Despite the momentum shift, a well-placed infield single allowed EMCC to even things at 3-3.
Pearl River regained the lead later in the sixth. Nico Williams (Gulfport) and Logan Fontenelle (Biloxi) walked, and Kyler King (Picayune) legged out a bunt single to load the bases. Strange delivered again with a sacrifice fly to left, scoring the go-ahead run for a 4-3 lead.
Watts returned in the seventh to close it out. A leadoff error threatened, but he induced a 6-4-3 double play and finished the game with a groundout to third.
Preston McAdory (Lucedale; George County) tied his season-long outing with four innings of two-run baseball, scattering five hits and four walks with three strikeouts. Jarvis Woody (Ridgeland) allowed one run on two walks over one inning. Watts earned the win with two innings, allowing just one hit and striking out one.
Strange and Clements each went 2-for-2 in the game. Strange drove in two runs and Clements drove in the other. Pitts walked twice from the leadoff spot.
NEXT UP
Pearl River heads to rival Gulf Coast Wednesday for a 3/6 p.m. doubleheader. The games will be livestreamed at MGCCCBulldogs.com/watch.
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).
