POPLARVILLE, Miss. — Each time No. 19 Northwest Florida landed a blow, No. 2 Pearl River answered back Friday night inside Dub Herring Park, using an 18-run, 19-hit outburst and a dominant bullpen outing to pull away with an 18-8 run-rule win in the series opener.
"It's fun when you see guys you believe in and you've prepared step up," head coach Michael Avalon said. "We know we have depth, and sometimes you've got to trust what you have and believe in it. This ballpark was playing small today, and you had to be at the knees with your pitches. That's the game-changer.
"That's a good offense — they're one of the blue bloods in junior college baseball. They're always going to be competitive. I'm proud of our guys, but this is just game one. We did our job today, and we've got to find a way to do our job tomorrow."
The Pearl River (14-5) didn't take long to get the offense going, plating a pair of runs in the first inning against Northwest Florida (14-7). On a 2-0 count, Jackson Estes (Madison; Germantown) blasted the first home run of his Pearl River career. After a Coy Clements (Hattiesburg; Oak Grove) walk and a Chap Cook (Canton; Canton Academy) single, Ethan Garner (Purvis; Purvis) ripped an RBI single through the right side to make it 2-0.
The Raiders answered immediately in the second, scoring twice on a groundout and an RBI single to knot the game at 2-2. Pearl River responded with a three-run bottom half. Landon Hawkins (Sumrall) doubled off the wall in left-center and later scored on an Estes single. Cook drove in Estes two batters later, and Nico Williams (Gulfport) capped the inning with a line-drive RBI single to give the Wildcats a 5-2 edge.
Northwest Florida surged ahead in the third, launching a go-ahead grand slam followed by a solo home run to move in front 7-5. Once again, Pearl River had an answer. Gatlin Pitts (Daphne, Ala.; Bayside Academy) and Estes worked walks to set the table for Clements, who battled to a full count before depositing a three-run home run over the wall to reclaim the lead, 8-7. The blast was his team leading eighth of the season.
With a runner on in the fifth, Pearl River turned to Dalton Graham (Conehatta; Newton County) out of the bullpen. A pair of singles allowed the tying run to score, but that was the final run Northwest Florida scored with Graham on the mound.
The Wildcats broke the game open in the bottom of the fifth, erupting for five runs to seize full control, 13-8. JP Abt (Brandon; Hartfield Academy) singled and scored all the way from first on a perfectly executed hit-and-run double into shallow right-center by Pitts. Garner followed with an RBI double to plate Pitts, and Williams punctuated the inning with a towering three-run home run over the wall in left.
Graham was electric in the sixth and seventh innings, retiring the side in order in both frames to set Pearl River up for more insurance. Garner delivered again in the seventh with an RBI double to extend the lead to 14-8. Graham's dominance continued into the eighth, where he struck out the side.
Pearl River put the game away in the bottom of the eighth. With two runners aboard, Abt blasted the first home run of his Wildcat career to push the lead to nine. Cook followed with an RBI single to invoke the run rule and secure the 18-8 victory.
LEADING THE WAY
Drew Harrison (Madison; Germantown) started for Pearl River, working four innings while allowing eight runs on five hits and four walks with six strikeouts. Graham earned the win in relief, tossing four innings and allowing just two hits while striking out six.
"Coach Avalon came to the bullpen when I was warming up and told me I wasn't going to throw anything they haven't seen," Graham said. "He told me I was at my best when I was in the zone and just being a pitcher. That's what I tried to focus on. I didn't want to do too much."
Estes, Cook, Garner and Williams each posted three-hit performances. Williams drove in four runs, while Clements, Garner and Abt each collected three RBIs. Estes, Clements, Williams and Abt all homered for the Wildcats.
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).
