POPLARVILLE, Miss. — The No. 3 Pearl River baseball team continued its scorching start to MACCC play Saturday afternoon, blasting seven home runs and piling up 26 runs in a doubleheader sweep of Northeast, 17-1 and 9-6.
Through four conference games, the Wildcats have scored 56 runs.
"To get out of here with two wins — we're extremely thankful for that," head coach Michael Avalon said. "We still have some things that we can learn from as players and coaches. The bottom line is that we won two games against a really, really good team and we took care of our business at home."
GAME ONE
The Pearl River (22-6 overall; 4-0 MACCC) bats were on fire from start to finish in the opener as the Wildcats scored in all six frames they came to the plate.
After Dalton Graham (Conehatta; Newton County) worked a clean first inning against the Tigers (15-14; 2-2), the Wildcats wasted little time getting on the board. Gatlin Pitts (Fairhope; Bayside Academy) opened the inning with a triple and scored moments later on a Jackson Estes (Madison; Germantown) sacrifice fly. Chap Cook (Canton; Academy) followed later in the frame with a towering solo home run to left to make it 2-0.
Northeast answered with a run in the second, but Pearl River quickly responded. Kyler King (Picayune) ripped an RBI double to right, Pitts added a two-run single and Coy Clements (Hattiesburg; Oak Grove) capped the inning with a sacrifice fly to stretch the lead to 6-1.
The Wildcats added three more runs in the third. Jackson Beddoe (Sulphur, La.) doubled to begin the inning and scored on a Landon Hawkins (Sumrall) single before Estes and Cook each drove in runs to push the advantage to 9-1.
Pearl River continued to pile on in the fourth as Hawkins crushed a two-run home run over the wall before Estes followed a few batters later with a two-run blast of his own to extend the lead to 13-1.
The Wildcats added two more in the fifth on a Colton Strange (Yukon, Okla.) sacrifice fly and an RBI double from Abel Thetford (Bossier City, La.; Parkway). Beddoe capped the scoring in the sixth with Pearl River's fourth home run of the game to make it 17-1.
Making the first start of his career, Graham tossed four innings of one-run baseball, allowing two hits and one walk while striking out five. Tanner Busby (Picayune) allowed one hit in an inning of work, while Gabe Hodges (Flowood; Northwest Rankin) and Slade Shove-Knox (Sulphur, La.) each fired a perfect inning with one strikeout.
Pitts and Beddoe each finished with three hits, while Williams, King and Hawkins added two apiece. Estes drove in four runs and Hawkins added three RBIs. Cook, Beddoe and Pitts each finished with two RBIs.
GAME TWO
Northeast grabbed early momentum in the second game of the night, sending the very first pitch over the wall for a leadoff home run.
The lead didn't last long.
Pearl River answered with three runs in the bottom half of the inning. Pitts doubled and scored on an Estes single before Coy Clements launched his 12th home run of the season, a two-run blast that gave the Wildcats a 3-1 lead.
The Tigers added another solo homer in the second, but the Wildcats responded with a five-run inning powered by the long ball. With Pitts and Estes aboard, Clements crushed a 2-2 pitch over the wall for a three-run homer. Chap Cook followed with a single and later scored when Nico Williams (Gulfport) launched a two-run blast to left, pushing the lead to 8-2.
An infield single by Williams in the third plated another run and extended Pearl River's scoring streak to nine consecutive innings, giving the Wildcats a 9-2 advantage.
Northeast made things interesting in the fourth, scoring four runs to trim the deficit to 9-6, but the Pearl River bullpen shut the Tigers down over the final three innings. Landon Watts (Picayune) ended the game with a strikeout to secure the 9-6 win.
McAdory tossed three innings, allowing four runs on three hits and two walks while striking out five. Colin Jenkins (Mt. Olive; Simpson Academy) earned the win with 2 1/3 innings of two-run baseball, scattering four hits and one walk. Watts recorded the save, striking out two over the final 1 2/3 innings.
Estes led the Wildcats with three hits, while Pitts, Clements, Cook, Williams and Thetford each added two. Clements drove in a game-high five runs and Williams finished with three RBIs.
NEXT UP
Pearl River heads to rival Jones College Tuesday for a 3/6 p.m. doubleheader. The game will be livestreamed JCBobcats.com/watch.
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).
