POPLARVILLE, Miss. — The No. 2 Pearl River baseball team bounced back in a big way after a tough 6-1 loss to No. 25 Gulf Coast earlier in the day, erupting for 19 runs in the nightcap to roll past No. 14 Jones College, 19-3.
"Credit to our guys for playing a lot harder in game two," head coach Michael Avalon said. "That was the message between games — I just didn't think we played hard in the first game. That's a reflection of us. We've got to make sure when they say play ball, we get after it. I feel like we did a much better job of that in game two."
NO. 25 GULF COAST 6, NO. 2 PEARL RIVER 1.
Pearl River (13-5 overall) struck first against Gulf Coast (11-3), turning a leadoff single by Gatlin Pitts (Fairhope, Ala.; Bayside Academy) into a run when Coy Clements (Hattiesburg; Oak Grove) followed with an RBI single for a 1-0 lead.
From there, it was all Bulldogs. Gulf Coast scored in the second, fourth, fifth, and seventh innings to pull away and secure the 6-1 win.
Nico Williams (Gulfport) worked three innings, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out two. Colin Jenkins (Mt. Olive; Simpson Academy) tossed 1 2/3 innings, surrendering two runs on three hits. JP Abt (Brandon; Hartfield Academy) pitched two innings, giving up one run and striking out two. Wilkes Johnson (Jackson; Madison Ridgeland Academy) recorded the final outs.
Clements led the Wildcats offensively, going 2-for-3 with an RBI.
NO. 2 PEARL RIVER 19, NO. 14 JONES COLLEGE 3.
Tyrese Johnson (West Point) set the tone in game two, working around two Wildcat miscues to keep Jones College (12-4) scoreless in the opening frame. Pearl River gave him early support in the bottom half as leadoff hitter Jackson Estes (Madison; Germantown) singled and scored on a Chap Cook (Canton; Canton Academy) RBI single to make it 1-0.
After a 1-2-3 inning from the right-hander, the Wildcats went back to work at the plate. Abel Thetford (Bossier City, La.; Parkway) launched a 369-foot solo homer to opposite field, and Cook later drew a bases-loaded walk to extend the lead to 3-0.
Pearl River broke things open with five runs in the third inning. Jackson Beddoe (Sulphur, La.) drove in the first run with a single before the Wildcats loaded the bases for Clements. The catcher crushed the first pitch he saw over straightaway center for a 444-foot grand slam, pushing the advantage to 8-0.
Johnson followed with another hitless, scoreless inning in the fourth, working around a leadoff hit by pitch. Williams later scored in the inning after singling and coming home on a fielder's choice off Kyler King's (Picayune) bat, making it 9-0.
The Wildcats put the game out of reach with a 10-run fifth inning. Ethan Garner (Gulfport) doubled in a run, Thetford was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, and Abt delivered a two-run single to make it 13-0. A Jones error brought home another run, Estes added an RBI single to right-center, and Clements capped his big day with a two-run double. Williams finished the scoring with a 405-foot, two-run homer to give Pearl River a commanding 19-0 lead.
Jones College scored three runs in the top of the seventh, but PRCC closed the game with a groundout to seal the 19-3 victory.
Johnson earned the win, throwing four hitless, scoreless innings while walking two and striking out three.
"I pulled him off to the side and told him how proud of him I am," Avalon said. "It's been great to see him respond the last two times out, but we've reminded him he's got to gain confidence from it and keep going."
Slade Shove-Knox (Sulphur, La.) and Jarvis Woody (Ridgeland) each tossed a scoreless inning. Shove-Knox struck out two, while Woody punched out three. McDonald worked the final inning, allowing three runs and striking out two.
NEXT UP
Pearl River returns to action Friday for a 4 p.m. showdown against NJCAA Division I foe, No. 19 Northwest Florida.
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).
