GOODMAN, Miss. — No. 1 Pearl River baseball picked up its 10th and 11th ranked wins of the season Saturday afternoon, going on the road and outscoring No. 24 Holmes 26-4 across a doubleheader. PRCC took the opener 16-1 in seven innings and fought back to win the nightcap 10-3.
With other results and PRCC's two wins, the Wildcats are now in sole possession of first place in the MACCC.
"I just talked to our guys about how tough our league is. One of the things that makes it so tough is the doubleheader. You have to separate two games, and that's tough to do," head coach Michael Avalon said. "We swung the bats and kept the momentum in game one. In game two, they grabbed the momentum and were up late. We had to fight, scratch and claw to get a victory.
"Holmes is a really good club. They've got a really good lineup and some really good arms. They're going to be tough down the stretch."
GAME ONE
Pearl River (25-5 overall; 5-1 MACCC) scored in all seven innings that it played in the opener against Holmes (20-9; 3-5). The offensive outburst, combined with the electric right arm of starting pitcher Jacob Johnson (Carriere; Pearl River Central), was a recipe for success.
The Wildcats tore the cover off the baseball in the first inning, using a double and five singles to plate six runs. Jackson Hood (Madison; Germantown), Topher Jones (Hernando), Logan Terry (Semmes, Ala.; East Central), Nico Williams (Gulfport) and Kyler King (Picayune) each had an RBI in the frame.
In the second inning, walks to Jacob Keys (Brandon) and Caston Thompson (Jayess; Brookhaven Academy) allowed Jaxon Milam (Phenix City, Ala.; Glenwood Academy) to earn an RBI single, 7-0. A King double turned into a Keegan Giger (Petal) RBI single in the third, 8-0. Milam left the yard in the fourth frame to give Pearl River its ninth run of the day, sending a solo shot over the right field wall, 9-0. King extended PRCC's advantage to double digits in the fifth. Terry drew a walk, and King smashed the first long ball of his Wildcat career, 11-0.
PRCC scored another run in the sixth when Milam tripled and crossed the plate on a single, 12-0. The Wildcats handed the ball off to Caleb Dyess (Carriere; Pearl River Central) in the bottom half, and he hung another zero for the Wildcats.
The offense exploded for four more in the seventh. Chap Cook (Canton; Canton Academy) earned a pinch-hit opportunity and ripped an RBI double into right field. Logan Fontenelle (Biloxi) plated a run with a groundout, and Milam followed with a sacrifice fly. A few batters later, Williams laced a single into left field to cap the scoring, 16-0.
Holmes broke the shutout in the seventh with a bases-loaded walk, but PRCC closed things out to secure the 16-1 victory.
Johnson threw five innings of scoreless baseball, allowing just one hit and one walk. He struck out three. Dyess tossed a scoreless frame. Hank Eaton (Corinth; Kossuth) threw the final inning for the Wildcats.
Milam finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs, three runs, one triple and one homer. Williams also had a three-hit game, going 3-for-5 with two RBIs. King tallied two hits, two runs and three RBIs.
"He's (Williams) still developing, maturing and figuring it out," Avalon said. "You're not always going to jump in at this level and do it because of the arms we face. He's worked hard lately, and he's starting to see the benefit of the hard work he's put in."
Giger rounded out the Wildcats with multiple hits with two. He had an RBI and a run.
GAME TWO
PRCC looked to be off to a good start in game two as Thompson bashed a first-inning solo shot to give the Wildcats an early advantage. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs responded with two runs in the bottom half, 2-1. The teams matched each other's scoring in the third. PRCC momentarily tied things on a Hood sacrifice fly, but HCC hit two doubles in the bottom half to push back ahead, 3-2.
After going quietly in the fourth and fifth innings, the Wildcat offense finally manufactured some runs in the sixth. Jones and Terry sandwiched RBI singles around a Williams groundout to propel PRCC in front, 5-3.
Pearl River flipped the game upside down in the seventh inning, scoring five runs. Thompson opened the scoring by sending home Keys with a double. Thompson moved around to third base on the throw. When the ball escaped the catcher, he took the plate to move ahead 7-3. Two of the next three batters reached base to bring up Williams in another big-time situation. The freshman was up to the challenge again, sending a three-run homer over the left field wall, 10-3.
The Wildcats closed things out in the seventh to secure the come-from-behind win.
Patrick Spencer Jr. (Greenville; Washington School), Camden Clark (Laurel; West Jones), Drew Harrison (Madison; Germantown) and Carson Fair (Southaven) each threw for the Wildcats. Harrison had PRCC's best day of the group, allowing just one hit and one walk in three innings of work. He struck out two.
Thompson was PRCC's lone player with multiple hits, going 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs. Williams was 1-for-2 with four RBIs. Milam was 1-for-2 with two runs scored.
"Milam did a really good job today on his birthday," Avalon said. "He had a good day offensively, but he led for us in game two. He stepped up when we needed him."
NEXT UP
The Wildcats return to Dub Herring Park Wednesday at 3 p.m. for a doubleheader against Hinds.
TUNE IN
All home Pearl River baseball games are livestreamed for free at PRCCMedia.com/Gold. Fans with 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 will also be available over the air in Pearl River County by tuning into 1320-AM and 106.9 FM. The radio broadcast is also available at WRJWRadio.com and by downloading the WRJW app.
For the latest on Pearl River Community College athletics, follow us on X (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).