POPLARVILLE, Miss. — The No. 5 Pearl River baseball team received clutch hit after clutch hit Friday night at Dub Herring Park as it earned two important early-season victories.
The Wildcats began the day by fighting back from a 3-1 deficit against Chattahoochee Valley to win 6-3. The nightcap was one of the best contests of the year so far as PRCC fought back to earn a walk-off win against Gulf Coast State, 3-2.
"My son sent me a verse from Proverbs this morning that said, 'a friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity.' Those are a bunch of brothers behind me," head coach Michael Avalon said. "I'm so proud of them tonight.
"That was a really good baseball team across from us tonight. That lefty on the mound was tough. We really had so many pieces step up today."
PEARL RIVER 6, CHATTAHOOCHEE VALLEY 3.
Pearl River (8-1 overall) handed the ball to freshman Camden Clark (Laurel; West Jones) to make the start against Chattahoochee Valley (2-7). A one-out walk could have come back to bite Clark in the third, but his defense aided his efforts tremendously. A ball was hit into the hole, and Jaxon Milam (Phenix City, Ala.; Glenwood Academy) ranged far to his right. He slid to field the ball and fired to Keegan Giger (Petal) for the first out. Giger completed the double play by firing it to Caston Thompson (Jayess; Brookhaven Academy) at first.
The Wildcats finally broke up the scoreless ballgame in the fourth. Logan Terry (Semmes, Ala.; East Central) got into scoring position by ripping a double and came around to score when Nico Williams (Gulfport) blooped a single into centerfield, 1-0.
CVCC broke things open in top of the fifth frame, using a 3-run blast to propel itself in front, 3-1. The Wildcats responded with a four-spot in their half of the inning. Jacob Keys (Brandon) came up to bat in yet another clutch situation for Pearl River and smacked a two-run double to even the contest up at three apiece. Keys eventually crossed the plate as Mississippi State transfer Topher Jones (Hernando) dropped a single just into the outfield for an RBI. Terry continued the big inning for the Wildcats by smashing a ball the opposite way and into the corner for an RBI double, 5-3.
The Wildcats got an ever-important insurance run in the sixth frame, with Keys again doing the damage. The third pitch thrown to him was sent flying the opposite way and over the fence in right field for a solo home run, 6-3.
The Pearl River pitching staff successfully managed the seventh and eighth and headed into the ninth with a three-run lead. Reliever Colin Jenkins (Mt. Olive; Simpson Academy) had incredible into the ninth inning before getting into a jam. With the bases loaded and two outs, PRCC turned to its closer, Carson Fair (Southaven). The right-hander wasted no time ending the game, throwing four pitches to strike him out and secure the 6-3 win.
Clark threw the first 4 1/3 innings of the contest for Pearl River, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks. He struck out eight. AJ Hansen (Mobile, Ala.; McGill-Toolen) earned the win with 1 2/3 innings of work. He walked one and punched out one. Colin Jenkins (Mt. Olive; Simpson Academy) was solid in relief, allowing just three hits and a walk in 2 2/3 innings. He struck out four. Fair earned his fourth save of the year by punching out the lone batter he faced.
Terry tore the cover off the baseball, going 4-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored. He had two doubles. Keys went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs. He doubled once and belted a homer. Jones was the only other Wildcat with multiple hits, finishing 2-for-5 with an RBI.
PEARL RIVER 3, GULF COAST STATE 2.
The Wildcats were locked in a pitcher's duel for the ages in the nightcap against Gulf Coast State (9-2). KK Clark (Brandon) retired the first six batters of the contest in order, with four strikeouts mixed throughout. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, the GCSC pitcher also retired six in a row.
KK Clark showed his grit in the third inning. The Commodores opened the inning by drilling a ball off the wall in centerfield for a leadoff triple. With his back against the wall, the Mississippi State transfer punched out the next batter, forced a ground out and closed out the frame with a strikeout.
The Commodores took advantage of a Wildcat error in the fifth inning to finally break the seal on the scoreless ball game, taking a 2-0 advantage. The Wildcats struggled against Gulf Coast State's left-handed ace in the fifth and sixth innings but finally made some noise in the seventh. A pitch hit Milam to put the first runner aboard. A Keys single advanced Milam a base, and Milam scored on an RBI single by Thompson. With Keys on third and Thompson on first, Thompson intentionally got caught in a rundown to steal a run and square up the game at 2-2.
With Patrick Spencer Jr. (Greenville; Washington School) on the mound, the GCSC lineup was silenced in the eighth inning as the flamethrower struck out two of the three batters he faced. Nothing was doing for the Wildcats in the bottom half of the inning, and they sent Max Miller (Vancleave) to the mound in the ninth.
Pearl River's lone left-handed pitcher worked around a one-out single by striking out the next two batters that he faced to send PRCC to the plate for what proved to be the final time.
PRCC got off to a great start in the frame as Jackson Hood (Madison; Germantown) and Milam hit back-to-back singles. Milam's heads-up baserunning allowed him to make it all the way to third, bringing up Keys in yet another important situation. He took the first pitch thrown to him for a ball before chopping a ball to the shortstop on the next pitch. He fielded it cleanly but couldn't get the throw home in time as Hood slid into the plate with the winning run, 3-2.
KK Clark tossed five innings, allowing two unearned runs while scattering three hits and two walks. He struck out nine. Spencer Jr. was electric out of the pen, throwing three innings of one-hit, one-walk baseball. He struck out six. Miller earned the win in relief, allowing a hit and punching out two.
Thompson finished 2-for-3 with an RBI.
NEXT UP
Pearl River takes on Gulf Coast State again on Saturday. First pitch from Dub Herring Park will be at 1 p.m.
TUNE IN
The Wildcats will once again livestream all games for free at PRCCMedia.com/gold. Fans who have 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 can also be heard at WRJW 1320-AM, 106.9 FM and WRJWRadio.com.
For the latest on Pearl River Community College athletics, follow us on X (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).
