SCOOBA, Miss. — On a day that No. 2 Pearl River baseball didn't have its best stuff on the mound, the offense scored 27 runs to sweep East Mississippi. PRCC took the opener 17-5 in seven innings and closed the night with a 10-6 victory. With the sweep, the Wildcats have now hit the 40-win mark for a fourth consecutive season.

"We swung the bats like we needed to. That was the worst we've pitched in a long time, but our hitters picked us up," head coach Michael Avalon said. "That's what a good team does. Your offense can still get it done when your pitching isn't there.

"We hit the 40-win mark, and that's not the ultimate goal, but it's something that I am really proud of this team for accomplishing. We have to keep going."

With East Central's loss against Northeast, Pearl River now holds a three-game lead in the MACCC with six games remaining on the schedule.

GAME ONE
Pearl River (40-6 overall; 20-2 MACCC) put itself in a bad position to start the day as East Mississippi (20-22; 7-15) scored three first-inning runs. 

After stranding a pair of runners in each of the first and second innings, the Wildcats had a big seven-spot in the third. As he's done repeatedly this season, Caston Thompson (Jayess; Brookhaven Academy) started a rally by belting a two-run homer and getting the Wildcats within a run, 3-2. Ethan Garner (Gulfport) evened things up with an RBI double, and Logan Terry (Semmes, Ala.; East Central) brought him across the plate with a single. The Wildcats got two more runners into scoring position, and Jacob Keys (Brandon) drove them in with a single into center field, 7-3.

The Lions managed to get within two runs after scoring a run in each of the fourth and fifth innings, cutting the deficit to 7-5. 

PRCC added another dominant frame in the top of the sixth, plating nine runs in the offensive outburst. During the stretch, PRCC had three bases-loaded hit batsmen, three bases-loaded walks, RBI singles by Keegan Giger (Petal) and Thompson and a sacrifice fly by Conner Dyess (Carriere; Pearl River Central), 16-5.

The Wildcats added an additional run in the seventh as Tyrese Johnson (West Point) ripped an RBI single into left field, 17-5. Pearl River retired the side in order in the bottom of the seventh to earn a run-rule victory.

Patrick Spencer Jr. (Greenville; Washington School) threw three innings, allowing four runs on three hits, three hit batters and one walk. Of the nine outs he recorded, he struck out eight of them. Drew Harrison (Madison; Germantown) earned the win with two innings of one-run baseball. He gave up three hits and one walk, striking out two. Colin Jenkins (Mt. Olive; Simpson Academy) and Peyton Lacy (Pass Christian) each struck out a batter in a scoreless inning of work.

Keys and Jaxon Milam (Phenix City, Ala.; Glenwood Academy) each had three hits, while Garner and Thompson had two hit days. Keys and Thompson drove in three runs apiece, and Terry drove in two. 

GAME TWO
The Wildcats led 4-0 after scoring a pair of runs in the first two innings. In the first, PRCC scored its runs on a triple by Topher Jones (Hernando) and a double by Milam. In the second, an RBI groundout by Giger and a Keys single added the second two runs.

EMCC made things interesting with three runs in the bottom of the second, pulling within one at 4-3. A Terry groundout in the third added a run, and PRCC picked up two runs in the fourth. Giger led off the inning with his fourth long ball of the season, and two batters later, Jones knocked a run-scoring single, 7-3.

The Lions were within two runs after the fifth inning, sending the Wildcats to the dish with a 7-5 lead. Pearl River did some two-out damage to extend the lead. Jones singled, and Milam walked to bring up Logan Fontenelle (Biloxi). The freshman had entered the game as a defensive replacement and stepped into the right-handed batter's box for his first at-bat of the game. He didn't waste any time in his opportunity, jumping on the first pitch and hitting it well beyond the wall in left field for a three-run home run, 10-5.

A clean sixth inning and a seventh inning in which just one Lion run scored helped the Wildcats take the contest 10-6.

Jacob Johnson (Carriere; Pearl River Central) threw the first two frames, allowing three runs on four hits and three walks. Landon Watts (Picayune) earned the win with three innings of two-run baseball. He scattered four hits and struck out five. Caleb Dyess (Carriere; Pearl River Central) threw an inning, striking out two. Carson Fair (Southaven) gave up an unearned run and struck out one in his lone inning of work.

Jones was 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a triple. Keys had two hits and an RBI. Giger had one hit, driving in two runs. Fontenelle had three RBIs.

NEXT UP
Pearl River now hosts rival Jones College for an ever-important MACCC doubleheader Wednesday evening at 3 p.m.

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).