Behind 13 innings of elite pitching and a near-perfect start from Ann Elise Duncan (McComb; Brookhaven Academy), Pearl River secured a doubleheader sweep of rival No. 24 Gulf Coast, winning 1-0 before surviving a 4-3 battle in game two.
"We came out, and I was pumped and ready to go," Duncan said. "My stuff was commanding really well, and I kept them guessing. Coach Meeks and I talk all the time — it's like playing chess with them. Today, I was really just playing chess and put the team on my back and said, 'We're going to win today. We have it.'"
GAME ONE
Duncan took the circle in the first inning for Pearl River (23-3 overall; 7-1 MACCC) against rival Gulf Coast (18-13; 4-8) and delivered what looked like a routine three-up, three-down frame. What followed, however, was anything but ordinary.
Duncan went on to retire the first 18 batters she faced, stringing together six perfect innings and carrying a perfect game into the seventh.
With little room for error, Duncan was dominant from the start. She pitched all seven innings for the Wildcats, working with a slim one-run lead after the opening frame. Pearl River's lone run came in the bottom of the first when Kai Goodman (New Orleans, La.; John Curtis) was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, and Natalee Eaves (Louisville; Choctaw Central) later drove her in with a single.
From there, Duncan took over.
The first inning featured a groundout, lineout and groundout. She followed that with two strikeouts in the second, then induced a groundout and two pop flies in the third. In the fourth, she mixed in another strikeout alongside a groundout and lineout, continuing to protect the narrow advantage.
By the fifth inning, Duncan had found a rhythm. She recorded another strikeout before a flyout and groundout, marking 15 consecutive batters retired. The sixth inning passed quickly as well, with three flyouts keeping Gulf Coast hitless and sending the game into the seventh with perfection still intact.
But leading off the final inning, Gulf Coast broke through. A bunt down the third base line was fielded cleanly by Nia Fondren (Batesville; South Panola), who made a strong throw to first. The play was close, but the runner beat it out, ending Duncan's perfect game bid.
Unfazed, Duncan regrouped. She struck out the next batter and then induced two flyouts to close out the game, securing a 1-0 shutout victory for Pearl River.
Though the perfect game slipped away in the final inning, Duncan's performance was nothing short of dominant — seven innings, one hit allowed and a 1-0 shutout victory.
GAME TWO
Fondren wasted no time getting Pearl River on the board in game two of the series. With two outs in the first inning, Fondren launched her 18th home run of the season, giving the Wildcats a 1-0 lead and tying the program's single-season home run record in the process.
Pearl River added to its advantage in the third inning with a patient approach at the plate. The Wildcats opened the frame with three consecutive walks, all of which eventually came around to score. Eaves lifted a sacrifice fly to bring in Goodman, who had drawn the first walk of the inning. Ana Acree (Mobile, Ala.; Alma Bryant) followed with a sacrifice bunt to score Zion Seals (Shannon; Nettleton) and Maeli Ben (Conehatta; Newton County) capped the inning with an RBI single that plated Fondren and pushed the lead to 4-0.
Gulf Coast didn't respond until the fifth inning, when the Bulldogs broke through with a solo home run to get on the board. They continued to apply pressure, adding two more runs in the inning to cut the deficit to 4-3.
With momentum shifting, Teegan DeWitt (Pass Christian; Hancock) entered in relief for Pearl River and delivered a key strikeout to halt the rally and preserve the narrow lead. From there, game one starter, Duncan, returned to the circle, this time in a closing role. Duncan was once again dominant, striking out four of the five batters she faced to shut down Gulf Coast's comeback attempt and secure a 4-3 victory.
Ana-Grace Garcia (Baton Rouge, La.; St. Joseph's) got the start in the circle for Pearl River, tossing 4 2/3 innings while allowing four hits and three runs. She struck out five Gulf Coast batters and did not issue a walk, keeping the Wildcats in control through the early stages of the game.
Ben was the lone Wildcat with a multi-hit game.
NEXT UP
Pearl River stays home at Wildcat Stadium Saturday for a 12/2 p.m. doubleheader against Coahoma. The games will serve as sophomore day.
TICKETS
Season and single-game tickets are on sale now at PRCCAthletics.com/Tickets.
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.
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