POPLARVILLE, Miss. — The battle of the last two NJCAA DII National Champions didn't go No. 3 Pearl River's way Saturday afternoon as the Wildcats fell to No. 1 Heartland 7-3 inside Dub Herring Park.

"It's the same song and dance as yesterday," Pearl River coach Michael Avalon said. "They're a really good team, and the arm we faced was really good. I love this group, and we're going to be fine. There's no question that we've got the right pieces. This is good for us, and we will learn from this.

"We get a chance to play again tomorrow against another good team, and we have to show up, play together and play tough."

Heartland (3-1 overall) threw two haymakers early against the Wildcats (13-5) as the Hawks hit a solo shot in the opening frame and deposited a three-run homer over the wall in the second, 4-0.

The Wildcats put some good swings on the ball in the third inning, but every hard-hit ball seemed to find the glove of a nearby Hawk. Bryce Fowler (Madison; Germantown) flew out to the warning track, and Hollis Porter (Hurley; East Central) ripped a line drive into center field that hung up just long enough for it to be caught.

An error aided Heartland's efforts in the top of the fourth, eventually leading to two unearned runs and increasing the Hawks' advantage to 6-0.

Jeff Ince (Brandon; Jackson Prep) tried his best to put some energy into the Wildcat dugout as the switch-hitting second baseman worked a 3-1 count before sending a pitch flying over the left field wall to cut into the deficit, 6-1.

Austin Tommasini (Madison; Madison Central) entered the game in relief of JT Schnoor (Pascagoula; Resurrection) to begin the fifth frame and was greeted with a solo homer, 7-1. The right-hander settled in and retired to the side to send PRCC back to hit.

The Wildcats did their best to respond in the bottom half of the fifth as Logan Terry (Semmes, Ala.; East Central) left the yard for the first time in his collegiate career, sending a solo shot deep over the left field wall. Shortly after, Creek Robertson (Oxford; Madison Central) added the second long ball of the inning, belting a pitch that dropped down just in front of the videoboard in left-center field for another solo shot, 7-3.

Tommasini was on fire from that point forward, keeping PRCC in the game with his stellar pitching. The Wildcat bats couldn't string much together, though, falling in the game.

Schnoor allowed six runs (four earned) on eight hits and one walk. He struck out six Hawk batters. Tommasini was electric, allowing just three hits and a run across five innings while striking out nine.

"Austin has been really good. The ball is down and he's really mixing his pitches," Avalon said. "He's working in and working out. That's what we needed to keep us in the game. He did a phenomenal job."

Porter was PRCC's only batter with multiple hits, finishing 2-for-4. Robertson and Terry each went 1-for-3 with a home run.

NEXT UP
Pearl River matches up with No. 20 Parkland for the second time on the weekend on Sunday. The single nine-inning game will get underway at 2 p.m.

TICKETS
Tickets are on sale now at PRCCAthletics.com/Tickets. General admission tickets are $8 per game. Season passes can be purchased for $75 for softball or a softball/baseball season pass can be purchased for $100.

HOW TO WATCH 
The Wildcats will once again livestream all games for free at PRCCMedia.com/gold. 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 X (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).