ENID, Okla. — In a game that felt all but lost midway through Tuesday night, No. 2 Pearl River delivered one of the most unforgettable comebacks in program history against No. 3 Madison.

Trailing for seven innings on the World Series stage, the Wildcats stormed back behind towering home runs from Jackson Estes (Madison; Germantown) and Coy Clements (Hattiesburg; Oak Grove) before Jackson Beddoe (Sulphur, La.) sent the Pearl River dugout into a frenzy in the ninth inning with a walk-off two-run home run to cap a stunning 6-4 victory.

"That's a really good baseball team. They do an incredible job. Their approach was perfect early," head coach Michael Avalon said. "Our bats just came alive at the right time. I told them going into the eighth that the wind was going to stop for us. I'm very proud of these guys. Now we get a rest day."

With the victory, PRCC advances to the semifinals Thursday at 3 p.m. against an opponent to be determined.

Early on, it looked like Madison (46-11 overall) might run away with it. The Wolfpack plated two first-inning runs on a single and retired the first six Wildcat batters in order to seize control.

But Pearl River (48-11) slowly began to settle in.

After a clean third inning from starter Cal Culpepper (Meridian; Clarkdale), the Wildcats finally cracked the scoreboard. Chap Cook (Canton; Canton Academy) wore a hit-by-pitch and Beddoe ripped a double to put two runners in scoring position before Gatlin Pitts (Fairhope; Bayside Academy) lifted a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit in half.

Madison answered with two more runs in the fourth, but Culpepper refused to let the game slip away.

The right-hander turned in some of the gutsiest innings of his Wildcat career, facing just one batter over the minimum across the next three frames to keep PRCC within striking distance as the late innings approached.

Pearl River turned to Landon Watts (Picayune) in the eighth inning, and the Memphis signee delivered exactly the spark the Wildcats needed. Watts punched out two batters in a dominant frame, sending Pearl River back to the dugout with life and belief.

Then came the eruption.

Beddoe opened the bottom of the eighth with a first-pitch single, bringing Estes to the plate two batters later. Locked in a 1-1 count, Estes unloaded on a pitch over the heart of the plate and launched it 388 feet over the wall for a two-run home run that suddenly brought the Wildcats within one.

The fireworks weren't finished.

Moments later, Clements stepped in looking for redemption after narrowly missing a home run earlier in the night. This time, he didn't miss. The sophomore crushed a towering 419-foot solo blast over the 20-foot wall in center field, tying the game at 4-4 and igniting the crowd inside David Allen Memorial Ballpark.

Watts returned for the ninth and worked through more pressure, recording two quick outs before Madison threatened with back-to-back singles. With the go-ahead run looming, Watts induced a chopper to Beddoe to send the game to the bottom half tied.

That's when the magic happened.

Landon Hawkins (Sumrall) came off the bench and immediately sparked the inning with a leadoff single. Kyler King (Picayune) moved him into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt, bringing Beddoe back to the plate with a chance to end it.

He needed only one pitch.

Beddoe ambushed the first offering he saw and sent it soaring high into the Oklahoma night and over the wall, setting off a wild celebration as the Wildcats mobbed home plate after the walk-off blast.

"I knew it was a tie ballgame. Hawk (Landon Hawkins) got the first big hit. I had to stay within myself," Beddoe said. "I was just trying to move the runner. I got a good pitch, and I swung and homered."

Culpepper tossed seven innings of four-run baseball, allowing six hits and one walk while striking out six. Watts earned the victory with two electric innings out of the bullpen, striking out three.

"Cal Culpepper was special tonight. Yeah, he may have struggled early, but to put up those zeros and throw 115 pitches — he wanted the baseball," Avalon said. "He told me months ago that he was going to be ready for this moment and he was tonight."

Beddoe finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBIs, while Clements and Estes each added two hits in Pearl River's unforgettable World Series comeback.

TUNE IN
The entire 2026 NJCAA Division II Baseball World Series will be streamed live on the NJCAA Network. A day pass costs $12, a tournament pass is available for $35 and an all-access pass costs $100.

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).