POPLARVILLE, Miss. — No. 5 Pearl River baseball's power was potent Saturday afternoon as the Wildcats clubbed an incredible 11 home runs in a sweep of Itawamba. The Wildcats grabbed a 13-3 eight-inning victory in game one and took the nightcap 18-1.
The last time the Wildcats hit 11 home runs in a doubleheader was Feb. 7, 2021 in a sweep of rival Gulf Coast. With the sweep and other results around the league, PRCC has moved into first place in the MACCC.
"I was really proud of our guys. They swung it really well," head coach Michael Avalon said. "They got ahead in the count and put good swings on the ball. We drove a lot of balls to the middle of the field. You always love to see that."
GAME ONE
Itawamba (11-17; 3-7) got off to a good start in the game as its leadoff batter sent a rocket flying onto the deck in right field for a home run, 1-0. The Wildcats (30-5; 10-0) got a response in the bottom half — powered by their left-handed hitting three-hole hitter, Hollis Porter (Hurley; East Central). The Mississippi State transfer jumped on the first pitch thrown to him and ripped it off the scoreboard in right center field, 1-1.
Pearl River had to play from behind after the second inning as the Indians tacked on two runs on a pair of RBI singles, 3-1. The deficit didn't seem to bother the Wildcats, as they scored three in the third. Jeff Ince (Brandon; Jackson Prep) brought a run in with a sacrifice fly, and Porter scored on an error. Marshall Phillips (Hattiesburg; Sumrall) then stepped to the dish and sent a 2-2 pitch flying over the left field wall, 4-3.
Porter struck again in the fourth for his 14th long ball of the year and second of the day — this time a two-run shot to extend the lead to 6-3. A Wildcat run scored on a passed ball in the fifth, 7-3.
Two more scored in the sixth on an RBI double off the bat of Porter and an RBI single that was ripped into left field by JP Robertson (Madison; Germantown). The scoring continued in the seventh. Alex Wade (Decatur, Ala.; Madison Academy) smacked an RBI double into right field, and Ince drove in another run with a sacrifice fly, 11-3.
Jonah Katsaboulas (Brandon) put the game to rest in the eighth. With JP Robertson aboard on a fielder's choice, Katsaboulas sent a two-run home run deep over the wall in left center field to make it a 13-3 run-rule victory.
Caleb Dyess (Carriere; Pearl River Central) earned the win, throwing five innings of three-run baseball. He worked around eight hits and two walks while striking out seven. AJ Hansen (Mobile, Ala.; McGill-Toolen) threw two scoreless innings, allowing four hits and striking out four. Reed McCrillis (Madison; Madison Central) threw the final inning, allowing one hit and one walk.
Porter was unreal at the plate in the game, going 3-for-3 with four runs, four RBIs, two walks, two home runs and a double. Creek Robertson (Oxford; Madison Central), Phillips and Caston Thompson (Jayess; Brookhaven Academy) each drew two walks. Ince and Katsaboulas drove in two runs.
GAME TWO
The long ball was plentiful in game two as the Wildcats smashed seven.
The first home run of the game came in the second. Following a triple by Katsaboulas, Thompson crushed a two-run shot over the center field wall to make the score 2-0.
The third run of the game scored in the third as Ince reached on a hit-by-pitch and scored on Porter's double into the gap, 3-0.
ICC cut the deficit to 3-1 in the fourth, but PRCC responded in a great way in the bottom of the second. Wade left the yard with JP Robertson on base, and Ince sent one over the wall with Logan Terry (Semmes, Ala.; East Centra) aboard, 7-1.
The magic continued for PRCC in the fifth. Keegan Giger (Petal) followed a Katsaboulas double by sending a two-run shot over the deck in right field, his first as a Wildcat. A few batters later, Wade knocked his second home run of the game, also of the two-run variety, 11-1. Porter picked up an RBI single. Phillips and Katsaboulas knocked back-to-back RBI doubles. Bryce Fowler (Madison; Germantown) drew a pinch-hit appearance to follow and made it count, blasting a two-run shot over straight away center field. Dyess was the next pinch hitter to step to the plate and mimicked Fowler by sending a ball over the wall. The long ball was PRCC's seventh of the game and 11th of the doubleheader. It made the score an incredible 18-1.
The Wildcats retired the Indians relatively easily in the sixth and seventh innings to walk away with a victory.
JT Schnoor (Pascagoula; Resurrection) earned the win, throwing five innings of one-run, four-hit baseball. He walked one batter and struck out six. Carson Fair (Southaven) threw an inning and allowed a hit. He struck out two. Konnor Graham (Hammond, La.) pitched the final inning and struck out the side.
Katsaboulas went 3-for-4 with three runs and two RBIs. He had a triple and two doubles. Ince, Porter, Phillips, Thompson and Wade all had two-hit games. Wade left the yard twice.
NEXT UP
Pearl River remains at Dub Herring Park on Tuesday for a 3/6 p.m. doubleheader against Hinds.
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 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).