WESSON, Miss. — The No. 5 Pearl River softball team battled No. 4 Copiah-Lincoln toe-to-toe Sunday afternoon in the Region 23 Championship game before ultimately falling 3-2 in nine innings.
The Wildcats won't have much time to dwell on the loss as they now shift their focus to the upcoming NJCAA Division II World Series, set for May 19-24 in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Pearl River secured an automatic berth after claiming the Poplarville Regional title Tuesday. The tournament bracket will be unveiled Tuesday at 3 p.m. on the NJCAA Network.
Ana-Grace Garcia (Baton Rouge, La.; St. Joseph's) was electric in the circle for Pearl River (43-7), repeatedly pitching out of trouble throughout the afternoon. In the bottom of the third, Garcia allowed the first two runners of the inning to reach scoring position before recording a pop out sandwiched between a pair of strikeouts to escape the jam.
Shania Fondren (Batesville; South Panola) capitalized on the momentum in the fourth inning. The freshman third baseman turned on a hanging breaking ball and launched it well beyond the left-field wall for a solo home run — her 26th of the season — to give Pearl River a 1-0 lead.
The Wolves (48-5) answered in the bottom half of the inning, stringing together four hits to plate two runs and take a 2-1 advantage. Copiah-Lincoln carried the lead into the seventh, but the Wildcats had one more rally in them.
Down to their final three outs, Fondren stepped to the plate once again and delivered in a big moment. She barreled up a 1-1 pitch and ripped her second solo homer of the day to even the game at 2-2.
Garcia worked out of another jam in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings. Copiah-Lincoln loaded the bases with two outs before the McNeese State signee froze a hitter with a deceptive changeup for a strikeout to end the threat.
Both teams were held scoreless in the eighth before the Wolves walked it off in the bottom of the ninth on a wild pitch to secure the 3-2 victory.
Kai Goodman (New Orleans, La.; John Curtis), Fondren and Emmaleigh Theriot (Prairieville, La.; St. Amant) each collected two hits for the Wildcats. Garcia tossed eight innings of three-run softball, scattering nine hits and five walks while striking out 10.
For the latest on Pearl River Community College athletics, follow us on X (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).