PERKINSTON, Miss. — The No. 5 Pearl River baseball team had a tough day Wednesday afternoon, dropping both games of its rivalry round-robin. The Wildcats fell 4-3 in the opener to Jones College and 3-2 in the nightcap to Gulf Coast.
"Credit goes to those two teams. They played hard and played really well," head coach Michael Avalon said. "We're lacking some confidence and consistency right now, and that falls on my shoulders. We will work on some things and try to get better from this."
JONES COLLEGE 4, PEARL RIVER 3.
Despite Jones College (11-3 overall) getting a runner aboard in each of the first four innings, Pearl River (12-4) starting pitcher KK Clark (Brandon) consistently worked himself out of danger to keep the Bobcats off the scoresheet.
The Wildcats scored a run in the fourth inning and a pair in the fifth inning. In the fourth, Jackson Hood (Madison; Germantown) singled to open the frame and came around to score on a Keegan Giger (Petal) RBI single. The fifth saw PRCC use the long ball. Kyler King (Picayune) ripped a single into left field and crossed the plate shortly after when Jaxon Milam (Phenix City, Ala.; Glenwood Academy) left the yard for the first time in his Wildcat career, 3-0.
Jones scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth and evened things up in the bottom of the sixth, 3-3. The Bobcats went down in order in the seventh and eighth innings before sneaking a ball down the right field line and out of the park for a homer to win the game 4-3 in the ninth.
KK Clark threw five innings of two-run baseball in his start. He scattered seven hits and struck out six Bobcats. Drew Harrison (Madison; Germantown) allowed one run on one hit and a walk in an inning pitched. Camden Clark (Laurel; West Jones) threw two incredible relief innings before giving up the game-winning home run in the ninth. He struck out three.
King finished 3-for-4 at the plate, tallying a double along the way. He was the only Wildcat with multiple hits.
GULF COAST 3, PEARL RIVER 2.
Pearl River struck first again in its second game of the day, tallying a first-inning run against Gulf Coast (11-5). Two early walks by Milam and Caston Thompson (Jayess; Brookhaven Academy) put a runner into scoring position. Chap Cook (Canton; Canton Academy) drove a single into center field to push across the opening run, 1-0.
MGCCC matched the run in the third inning to tie things back up. PRCC's Topher Jones (Hernando) plated a go-ahead run in the fourth with an RBI single of his own. Again, MGCCC matched it, tying things up in the fourth, 2-2.
Both teams went quietly in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings. MGCCC took the lead in the bottom of the eighth, dropping a flair single into right field to push across a run, 3-2.
Pearl River couldn't get anyone aboard in the ninth, falling in the game.
Max Miller (Vancleave) was efficient in six innings of work. The left-handed pitcher scattered two runs and six hits. He struck out seven Bulldogs. Colin Jenkins (Mt. Olive; Simpson Academy) allowed one hit and one walk, recording two outs. Carson Fair (Southaven) threw the final 1 1/3 innings, allowing a run on a hit and two walks.
Cook, Giger, Jones and King each tallied a hit in the game.
NEXT UP
Pearl River heads to Summit on Sunday for a round-robin against No. 22 Lansing and Southwest. PRCC takes on Lansing at 2:30 p.m. and Southwest at 5 p.m. The games will be livestreamed at Go.SMCCBears.TV.
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