SENATOBIA, Miss. — It wasn't clean and it wasn't easy, but No. 1 Pearl River once again found a way, grinding out a road sweep at No. 24 Northwest to clinch its third straight 25-3 finish in MACCC play.
"It may have been ugly — but we won. We found a way to get it done," head coach Michael Avalon said. "Getting out of here with two wins is something to be proud of. This is the third year in a row we've finished 25-3 in conference play. That's one heck of an accomplishment. We just saw how tough that was to do."
GAME ONE
Pearl River (43-9 overall; 25-3 MACCC) struck first in what proved to be a whacky opener against Northwest (30-17; 17-9). Chap Cook (Canton; Canton Academy) blooped an RBI single into left, and Nico Williams (Gulfport), who worked a walk, stole home on a pickoff attempt to the opposite corner to make it 2-0.
Northwest answered immediately. Three singles, a walk and an error helped the Rangers push across three runs to take a 3-2 lead, and they extended the advantage to 4-2 in the second.
Pearl River responded in the third. Back-to-back walks from Jackson Estes (Madison; Germantown) and Coy Clements (Hattiesburg; Oak Grove), followed by a bunt single from Williams, loaded the bases. Jackson Hood (Madison; Germantown) drew a bases-loaded walk, and Kyler King (Picayune) delivered a two-run single to put PRCC back in front, 5-4.
The lead was short-lived. Northwest launched a two-run homer in the bottom half of the inning to regain control, 6-5.
Clements answered in the fourth, blasting a solo home run to center — his 22nd of the season — to even things at 6-6.
The Wildcats broke it open in the sixth by capitalizing on free passes. Colton Strange (Yukon, Okla.) and Gatlin Pitts (Fairhope; Bayside Academy) were hit by pitches, and Estes drew a walk to load the bases. Clements then cleared them with a triple to the opposite field, and Cook followed with a sacrifice fly to stretch the lead to 10-6.
An inning later, Pearl River added to the margin. Estes drew a bases-loaded walk, Strange scored on a wild pitch and Cook recorded his second sacrifice fly of the game. Hood capped the inning with a three-run homer, pushing the advantage to 16-6.
Northwest plated five runs in the seventh to extend the game, cutting the deficit to 16-11, but Pearl River put it away in the ninth. The Wildcats scored five runs — highlighted by an RBI single from Jackson Beddoe (Sulphur, La.), a run-scoring hit from Estes and bases-loaded walks by Bryce Duszak (Appleton, Wis.; Menasha) and Landon Hawkins (Sumrall) — to secure a 21-11 win.
Logan Fontenelle (Biloxi) earned the win with two scoreless innings out of the bullpen, and Tanner Busby (Picayune) closed it out over the final three frames.
King went 3-for-4 with two RBIs, while Hood and Clements each drove in four runs. Cook added three RBIs, and Pitts, Estes and Clements drew three walks apiece.
GAME TWO
The nightcap delivered the drama.
Northwest jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second on a solo home run and a two-run single, but Pearl River answered in the third. After Pitts worked a walk, Estes crushed a two-run homer to right, trimming the deficit to 3-2.
The Wildcats evened things in the fifth. Beddoe singled up the middle and advanced on two wild pitches before Estes drove him in with a groundout to tie the game, 3-3.
An inning later, Ethan Garner (Gulfport) singled and moved to third on two passed balls before Williams brought him home with a sacrifice fly, giving PRCC a 4-3 edge.
Northwest tied the game again in the sixth, and the score remained deadlocked at 4-4 through seven innings.
In extras, Pearl River capitalized on its opportunity. Singles from Garner and Beddoe, combined with two Northwest errors, allowed the Wildcats to plate three runs and take a 7-4 lead.
Landon Watts (Picayune) handled the rest. After allowing a leadoff single in the eighth, he recorded a strikeout and two groundouts to close out the sweep.
Watts earned the win with two innings of relief. JP Abt (Brandon; Hartfield Academy) started and went 5 1/3 innings, striking out five. Dalton Graham (Conehatta; Newton County) recorded two outs in relief.
Estes drove in a game-high five runs, while Clements and Garner each recorded multi-hit performances. Clements also drew three walks.
NEXT UP
Pearl River returns to Dub Herring Park Tuesday for a noon first pitch against Baton Rouge. The day will serve as PRCC's Kids Day Game.
TICKETS
Season and single-game tickets are on sale now at PRCCAthletics.com/Tickets. 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).