POPLARVILLE, Miss. — No. 2 Pearl River baseball shook off a tough loss in the opener by tossing a three-hit shutout in the nightcap to split the day against UA Rich Mountain, falling 10-6 and winning 5-0.
"We can learn a lot from what they did today — hitting the baseball to the middle of the field," head coach Michael Avalon said. "We need to see that approach and buy into it. It was a team effort to lose the first game, but it was also a team effort to win the second. We just need to make some adjustments."
The Wildcats and Bucks will square off in the rubber match Saturday at 11 a.m.
GAME ONE
UA Rich Mountain (4-8 overall) opened the scoring in the top of the first, turning a leadoff double into a sacrifice fly. Pearl River (11-4) answered immediately in the bottom half. Ethan Garner (Gulfport) was hit by a pitch to start the inning and later scored on a Bucks miscue to tie the game at 1-1.
Drew Harrison (Madison; Germantown) settled in during the second, retiring the side in order. The Wildcats then broke things open in the bottom half. Gatlin Pitts (Mobile, Ala.; Daphne) singled with one out and Garner drew a walk before Jackson Hood (Madison; Germantown) launched a 1-2 pitch over the left-field wall to give PRCC a 4-1 advantage.
The Bucks chipped away with a run in the third and added two more in the fifth to even the score at 4-4. Pitts briefly pushed Pearl River back in front in the sixth, blasting his second home run of the season to make it 5-4.
UA Rich Mountain responded emphatically with six runs in the seventh to seize control. Pearl River attempted a rally in the bottom half, scoring once on an Abel Thetford (Bossier City, La.; Parkway) RBI single. Jackson Beddoe (Sulphur, La.) crushed a ball to the wall later in the inning, but a leaping catch ended the contest, 10-6.
Harrison worked 4 1/3 innings, allowing four runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out five. Landon Watts (Picayune) tossed 2 2/3 innings, surrendering six runs on four hits with two strikeouts.
Pitts led PRCC at the plate, finishing 2-for-3 with an RBI and a stolen base. Hood drove in three runs with his home run, while Kyler King and Thetford each added an RBI.
GAME TWO
Pearl River responded in the nightcap. The opening inning proved tense, but Preston McAdory (Lucedale; George County) worked out of trouble by inducing a popout. The right-hander followed by retiring the side in order in the second.
Beddoe continued his hot streak in the second inning, turning on an 0-0 pitch and sending it off the top of the wall and over for a solo home run to give PRCC a 1-0 lead. After another clean frame from McAdory, the Wildcats added two more in the third. Garner singled to lead off the inning and scored when Coy Clements (Hattiesburg; Oak Grove) drove an outside fastball the opposite way for a two-run homer to right-center, extending the lead to 3-0.
McAdory struck out two batters in his final inning before handing the ball to Colin Jenkins (Mt. Olive; Simpson Academy). Jenkins dominated out of the bullpen, keeping the Bucks off the scoreboard in the fifth and sixth as Pearl River tacked on two insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth. Gardner Young (Madison; Jackson Prep) turned a leadoff walk into two stolen bases and scored on a squeeze bunt by King. Pitts later scored on a pair of wild pitches to cap the scoring at 5-0.
Jenkins sealed the win in the seventh, working around two singles and striking out the side.
McAdory earned the win with four scoreless innings, allowing one hit and five walks while striking out seven. Jenkins picked up the save, throwing the final three innings and allowing three hits and one walk with six strikeouts.
"Jenkins was big for us," Avalon said. "Hopefully, he throws a lot of big innings for us. We need him to put zeros up."
Clements finished 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs. Beddoe's lone hit left the yard, King drove in a run, and Pitts drew two walks.
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).
