POPLARVILLE, Miss. — The No. 5 Pearl River baseball team passed another test Friday afternoon at Dub Herring Park, earning a pair of ranked victories over No. 9 Southeastern and No. 16 South Arkansas. The Wildcats took the opener against the Blackhawks 5-2 and followed with a 7-4 victory over the Stars.
"I feel like I'm hearing the phrase 'we faced really good arms' in my sleep," head coach Michael Avalon said. "We knew we were going to have to battle today. I think it's good for us that we are being tested. I'm super proud of how we responded tonight and didn't quit when it got tough."
NO. 5 PEARL RIVER 5, NO. 9 SOUTHEASTERN IOWA 2.
Pearl River (18-4 overall) and Southeastern (9-5) were locked in a pitcher's duel through the first 4.5 innings, with Jacob Johnson (Carriere; Pearl River Central) leading the charge for Pearl River. The right-hander scattered three hits and three walks in five innings of scoreless work to start the day.
Led by Mississippi State transfer Topher Jones (Hernando), PRCC finally broke things open in the fifth. After battling to a 1-2 count, Jones jumped on a pitch and sent it flying over the wall in left center, 1-0. Hank Eaton (Kossuth; Corinth) scored the next Wildcat run, walking, stealing second, and scoring on a Keegan Giger (Petal) single, 2-0.
PRCC tacked on two important insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth. Jacob Keys (Brandon), Caston Thompson (Jayess; Brookhaven Academy) and Jackson Hood (Madison; Germantown) knocked three consecutive singles to open the frame, setting up Ethan Garner (Gulfport) for some more heroics. The freshman continued his hot start to the season, smacking a two-run single for RBIs six and seven through six games played, 4-0.
Southeastern got one back from Pearl River reliever Colin Jenkins (Mt. Olive; Simpson Academy) in the seventh, but the right-hander induced a double play to close out the frame, 4-1. The Wildcats had their pitcher's back in the bottom half of the frame, immediately matching the run. Giger walked, swiped second and moved to third on an error. Jaxon Milam (Phenix City, Ala.; Glenwood Academy) promptly thumped a line drive the other way for an RBI single, 5-1.
The eighth was clean on the mound for Pearl River, but the Wildcats ran into some trouble in the ninth. The Blackhawks loaded up the bases, forcing PRCC to bring in closer Carson Fair (Southaven). The first batter Fair faced chopped a ball to second for a fielder's choice, plating a run. Fair tied the second batter up, and he flew out to shallow left field. A quick punch out closed things out to secure PRCC the 5-2 win.
Milam went 3-for-4 at the plate with an RBI and two stolen bases. Garner went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs and a stolen base.
Johnson threw five innings, allowing three hits and three walks. He did not give up a run and struck out four. Jenkins was solid in relief, allowing two runs on five hits and four hit batters. He punched out three. Fair tossed the final inning, striking out one on his way to his sixth save of the year.
NO. 5 PEARL RIVER 7, NO. 16 SOUTH ARKANSAS 4.
The Wildcats had to put their rally caps on in the second game of the day against South Arkansas (9-11). Despite receiving five innings of one-run baseball from starting pitcher Patrick Spencer Jr. (Greenville; Washington School) on the mound, PRCC found itself behind 4-0 heading into the bottom of the seventh against the Stars.
The Stars' starting pitcher had dominated the Wildcat offense through the first six innings of the night before things unraveled in the seventh — all with two outs in the inning. Jones led things off with a single and came around to score on a clutch Giger single into right field, breaking the shutout, 4-1. Two batters later, Keys came to the dish with runners in scoring position and dinked a ball over the pitcher's mound into no man's land. The shortstop fielded the ball and fired to first, but a Keys headfirst slide beat the throw. Logan Terry (Semmes, Ala.; East Central) scored on the hit, and Giger never checked up as he rounded third base and beat a throw home, 4-3.
That brought up the heavy-hitting Thompson in a huge situation for the Wildcats. The captain stepped into the left-handed batter's box, worked a full count and then unloaded on a breaking ball. The ball shot off his bat like a cannon and soared deep over the wall in right field, bouncing its way to the dorms beyond Dub Herring Park. The big swing propelled PRCC in front 6-4.
Pearl River tacked on another run in the eighth as Logan Terry (Semmes, Ala.; East Central) belted a double to center field and crossed the plate on a single from Kyler King (Picayune), 7-4.
Drew Harrison (Madison; Germantown) went back out for his second inning of work in the ninth inning and punched out a pair on his way to a 1-2-3 inning, allowing the Wildcats to take the game 7-4.
Thompson finished 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs. Giger, Milam, Keys, Jones, Terry and King each had a hit.
Spencer tossed five innings, allowing one run on four hits and two walks. He struck out nine. Nico Williams (Gulfport) gave up three runs on four hits and a walk in his two innings pitched. He tallied four strikeouts. Harrison threw a pair of perfect innings and racked up four punchouts.
NEXT UP
Pearl River returns to action Saturday at 2 p.m. against the Stars.
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).