ELLISVILLE, Miss. — After dropping a tough 6-4 contest to No. 7 Copiah-Lincoln on Saturday, No. 9 Pearl River found itself locked in one of its toughest games of the season in an elimination game against No. 11 Northwest.
Needing one big swing to move ahead, Destiney Gary (Greenwell Springs, La.; Central) stepped to the dish with the bases loaded. She worked herself to a 3-1 count before unloading on a pitch and sending it over the center field wall for a go-ahead extra-inning grand slam, allowing PRCC to secure an 8-4 victory.
"I was nervous, but I knew I was due. I was trying to take it one pitch at a time. In a 3-1 count, I knew she had to throw me something to hit," Gary said. "I knew that I was going to take a big hack. I knew it could have been my last at-bat ever. She threw me a pitch to hit and I did what I needed to do.
"I almost started crying while I was rounding the bases. It was like a dream. I couldn't believe it. It was a really awesome moment."
With the victory, PRCC advances to an elimination game at 1:30 p.m. against LSU Eunice. If the Wildcats win that game, they will advance to a 4 p.m. game against the loser of Jones College and Copiah-Lincoln.
PEARL RIVER 8, NORTHWEST 4.
Although both teams threatened over the first three innings of the night, neither Pearl River nor Northwest (32-11) had any luck scoring runs.
The Rangers struck first in the bottom of the fourth inning, belting a 2-2 pitch over the wall to move ahead 1-0.
PRCC turned to its best offensive player of the 2023 season to fight back in the fifth inning. With a runner aboard, Lavergne stepped to the dish and belted her team-leading 12th home run of the season to put the Wildcats in front, 2-1. Gary kept the rally going by drawing a six-pitch walk and scoring when Juliannah Overstreet (Vancleave) sent a line drive off the wall down the left field line, 3-1.
An RBI single followed by a two-run single helped NWCC battle right back in the bottom half of the frame to move ahead 4-3.
Dallyn Nance (Nanih Waiya) snatched some momentum back for the Wildcats to open the sixth frame as she drove a leadoff double off the wall in right field. West laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to move her over one bag and Meadows followed by chopping a single up the middle and just out of the reach of the second baseman for an RBI, 4-4.
The two teams went quietly in the seventh, but then the Wildcats got it done in the eighth frame of the night. The first two PRCC batters to step to the plate grounded out to put the Wildcats' backs against the wall. Meadows legged out a dropped third strike to keep the inning alive before one of the at-bats of the season took place for Natalie Toups (Brandon; Clinton Christian Academy). Toups took the first four pitches of the plate appearance to find herself at a 2-2 count. She then proceeded to foul off an unbelievable 10 straight pitches and eventually draw a walk. The Rangers opted to work around Morgan Lavergne (Baton Rouge, La.; Central), loading up the bases for Gary. Facing a 3-1 count, Gary knew that she was going to get a pitch to hit. The left fielder saw a ball sail in over the heart of the plate and sent it flying over straight away center field for a grand slam, 8-4.
Brinson Anne Rogers (Statesboro, Ga.) slammed the door on the Rangers in the bottom half of the inning as she quickly struck out the side to secure the victory.
Natalie Herrington (Petal) threw three innings, allowing one run on four this. She struck out three. Rogers tossed the final five innings, allowing three runs on three hits and a walk. She picked up 11 strikeouts.
Gary finished 2-for-4 with two runs and four RBIs. She also drew a walk. Lavergne was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a pair of walks.
COPIAH-LINCOLN 6, PEARL RIVER 4.
Rogers picked right up where she left off on Wednesday by retiring Copiah-Lincoln (39-8 overall) in order in the first frame of the evening.
The Wildcats (42-12) had to work around a little adversity in the bottom half of the inning. Lavergne worked a very long at-bat to begin the evening before drawing a walk. A sacrifice bunt moved the shortstop into scoring position at second. Overstreet went the opposite way and dropped a ball just out of the reach of the diving CLCC right fielder. Overstreet cruised into second for what appeared to be an RBI double but after an appeal it was ruled that Lavergne missed home plate, resulting in an out. It seemed as if the momentum may have been snatched away from the Wildcats, but hometown product Cassidy Cartwright (Poplarville) thought otherwise as she rocketed a three-run homer over straight away center field. PRCC tacked on one more in the frame when Nance crossed the plate after Marisa West's (Cintronelle, Ala.; LeRoy) line drive went in-and-out of the glove of the diving CLCC center fielder, 4-0.
It was a high-stress inning for Rogers in the top of the second as the Wolves loaded up the bases on a double, a single and a walk. Rogers and the next CLCC batter got locked in a remarkable 14-pitch battle that ended in a bases-loaded walk to make the score 4-1.
In the third inning, the Wolves cut the deficit to one run at 4-2 after smashing a solo homer. The Wolves squared the game at four apiece in the fourth inning, using an RBI single and a Wildcat error to do the damage.
CLCC struck for another two-spot in the sixth inning, mashing a two-run single into left field, 6-4. PRCC was unable to stretch across any runs in the sixth or seven innings, resulting in its first loss of the Region 23 Tournament.
Rogers finished with 3 2/3 innings pitched, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks. She struck out six. Herrington tossed the remaining 3 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on five hits and a walk while striking out a pair.
Cartwright finished 1-for-3 with three RBIs. Bryn Daughtery (Vancleave) drew a pair of walks in the game.
TICKETS
Admission is $10 per day or $50 for a six-day tournament pass. Gates open one hour before the first game of each day. Jones College recommends that fans purchase tickets in advance at JCBobcats.com/tickets.
TUNE IN
All games will be livestreamed for free at JCBobcats.com/watch.
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