POPLARVILLE, Miss. — No. 2 Pearl River baseball erased a nine-run first-inning deficit to stun No. 19 Northwest Florida State 10-9 in the opener Saturday before the Raiders claimed the nightcap 9-6, splitting a wild doubleheader at Dub Herring Park.
With the game one victory, Pearl River secured a series victory against the perennial powerhouse Raiders.
"It was a good weekend, but it could have been a great weekend because we had a chance to win two ball games today," head coach Michael Avalon said. "We didn't take advantage of all of our opportunities. I am proud of these guys, but we have to keep learning, growing and getting better.
"That's Division I junior college baseball — it's different. I don't care what anyone says. There's big-time talent up and down their (Northwest Florida State) lineup one after another. Hopefully, that will help us continue to get better. You can always count on them being super, ultra-talented. I'm glad we don't have to face their lineup again."
GAME ONE
The first inning was one to forget for Pearl River (15-6 overall) against Northwest Florida (14-8) as the Raiders burned through three Wildcats pitchers and plated nine runs. PRCC turned to Jarvis Woody (Ridgeland) to get the final out of the opening frame and the right-hander dazzled the rest of the way. Woody went on to throw 4 1/3 innings of one-run baseball, scattering four hits and striking out two — giving the Wildcats a chance to steadily chip away.
"Woody was really good today," Avalon said. "We're thankful for the zeroes he put up against a really good team."
Abel Thetford (Bossier City, La.; Parkway) opened Pearl River's scoring in the bottom of the first, blasting a 2-2 pitch over the center-field wall, 9-1. The Wildcats added two more in the third. Jackson Estes (Madison; Germantown) doubled, then Coy Clements (Hattiesburg; Oak Grove) worked a full count before crushing a 416-foot two-run home run to make it 9-3.
A 1-2-3 inning by Woody sent PRCC back to the plate for another run in the fourth. Pearl River loaded the bases and Estes earned an RBI the hard way when he was hit by a pitch, trimming the deficit to 9-4.
An explosive fifth inning helped Pearl River cut the margin to just one run, 9-8. A balk brought home the first run, Jackson Beddoe (Sulphur, La.) smoked a two-run double off the top of the left-field wall and Estes drove in another run with a double.
Colin Jenkins (Mt. Olive; Simpson Academy) delivered a scoreless sixth inning. Things nearly unraveled in the seventh, but a leaping catch by second baseman Beddoe and a quick throw to shortstop Gatlin Pitts (Sulphur, La.) resulted in a clutch double play to end the threat, keeping the score at 9-8.
PRCC put its resolve to the test in the seventh. Down to its final out, Pitts worked a walk, setting the stage for Estes once again. The freshman stepped in and ripped a shot into the gap to tie the game at nine.
Jenkins kept the momentum rolling in the eighth, registering a big strikeout to send the Wildcats back to the plate with a chance to win it. Ethan Garner (Gulfport) jumped on a pitch and drove it into the corner for a leadoff triple. With the infield drawn in, Thetford lined a ball straight back up the middle for a walk-off single, completing a remarkable nine-run comeback, 10-9.
Woody threw 4 1/3 innings, allowing one run on four hits while striking out two. Jenkins earned the win with three innings of two-hit, scoreless baseball.
Estes finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs and a run scored, collecting a pair of doubles. Beddoe also posted a three-hit game with two RBIs. Clements added two hits, two RBIs, two walks and a home run. Thetford went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a homer. Garner chipped in with a two-hit performance.
GAME TWO
Estes' big day carried over into game two as the left-handed hitter launched a two-run home run over the wall in right field to give Pearl River a 2-0 lead.
The Raiders answered with a run in the second, but PRCC responded with two in the bottom half. Colton Strange (Yukon, Okla.) laced a double down the left-field line and scored on an Estes double into the right-center gap. Cook followed with an RBI single to push the lead to 4-1.
Northwest Florida flipped the script in the third, erupting for five runs on seven hits to seize a 6-4 advantage. Clements stayed red-hot in the fourth, turning on an outside fastball and sending it the opposite way and over the wall in right-center for his 10th home run of the season, cutting the deficit to 6-5. Three batters later, PRCC evened the score as Garner doubled and scored on a Williams single, 6-6.
The Raiders reclaimed the lead in the fifth and tacked on two more in the seventh to pull ahead 9-6 — a score that stayed.
Tanner Busby (Picayune) worked two innings, allowing five runs on six hits and a walk. JP Abt (Brandon; Hartfield Academy) faced one batter. Landon Watts (Picayune) tossed 4 2/3 innings, giving up four runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out four. Wilkes Johnson (Jackson; Madison Ridgeland Academy) recorded one out.
Estes, Garner and Williams each collected two hits. Estes drove in three runs with a double and a home run.
NEXT UP
Pearl River hits the road Tuesday for a round-robin against East Mississippi and Southwest, playing at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. The games will be livestreamed at EMCCLive.com.
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