POPLARVILLE, Miss. — Lopsided third and fourth innings Thursday Evening at Dub Herring Park proved to be more than enough for the No. 3 Pearl River baseball team as the Wildcats thumped Southwest 23-1 in five innings. PRCC's 23 runs were a season high, one-upping a previous mark of 22 that also came against Southwest.
"We put pressure on them. Our at-bats were really good even at the beginning," Pearl River coach Michael Avalon said. "We capitalized on what they gave us and that's always good. The message was to make sure we don't take anything for granted tonight. We will get some rest and be ready to go tomorrow."
Pearl River (42-11 overall) now needs one more win in the best-of-three series to advance to the Region 23 Tournament May 15-19 at LSU Eunice.
The Wildcat starter Luke Lyon (Hattiesburg; Oak Grove) got PRCC off to a hot start with clean innings in the first and second.
The momentum boost helped propel the Wildcats to a four-spot in the bottom of the second. With the bases loaded, Blaise Breerwood (Poplarville) ripped a single off the glove of the sliding Southwest (23-27) shortstop and into the outfield for two RBIs. Jonah Katsaboulas (Pearl; Brandon) picked up an RBI with a groundout and Breerwood scored on a wild pitch, 4-0.
Pearl River added in a massive 10-run third inning to bring the score to 14-0. Triston Hickman (Wiggins; Stone County) continued his recent dominance at the plate by smashing a three-run homer over the left field wall. In addition to several runs scoring on wild pitches, Pearl River was the recipient of a two-run single by Alex Perry (McComb; North Pike) in the frame.
Although the Bears got a run back in the top of the fourth, the scoring didn't stop for the Wildcats as they broke through for nine more runs in the fourth inning. Preston Soper (Madison; Germantown) picked up a bases-clearing three-run triple after smashing a ball down the right field line and deep into the corner. Perry followed it up by driving him home with an RBI double and Perry scored on a Logan Walters (Petal) single. Hunter Sute (Tuscaloosa, Ala.; American Christian Academy) sent a ball flying off the right field wall for a two-run double and Breerwood capped the scoring with a two-run single to make the score 23-1.
Pearl River sent Byrion Robinson (Brookhaven) out for the fifth and he worked around a two-out single to end the contest.
Lyon tossed four innings, allowing one run on seven hits and two walks. Robinson allowed one hit in his one inning of work.
Walters went 3-for-4 in the game with an RBI and four runs scored. Perry picked up two hits in the contest, scored two runs and drove in three. Sute was 2-for-2 with two RBIs and two walks. He scored four runs. Breerwood wrapped up those with multiple hits, finishing 2-for-3 with four RBIs and two runs scored.
NEXT UP
Game two of the best-of-three series is scheduled for Friday at 4 p.m. but is subject to change due to impending weather. Continue to check Pearl River's social accounts for updates.
TICKETS
Game two tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at PRCCAthletics.com/Tickets.
CASHLESS BOX OFFICE
To help improve traffic flow and fan experience, PRCC athletics box offices are cashless in 2022-23. Only credit and debit cards will be accepted at the box office. Fans are encouraged to beat the lines and purchase their tickets in advance.
TUNE IN
Pearl River livestreams all home games for free at PRCCMedia.com. 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 Twitter (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics)