POPLARVILLE, Miss. — The No. 5 Pearl River softball team battled No. 2 Copiah-Lincoln in a series split on Wednesday at Wildcat Stadium. The Wildcats run-ruled the Wolves, 9-1, in game one and lost an extra-inning slugfest, 12-10, in game two.  

"Our offense did a fantastic job," PRCC head coach Christie Meeks said. "Our team battled for each other. I am so proud of the way they fought, the class they displayed. Copiah-Lincoln is a great team, and I think we did a really good job battling all day long."

GAME ONE 
Pearl River (31-6 overall; 13-3 MACCC) wasted no time to get the offense going in game one. Morgan Lavergne (Baton Rouge, La.; Central) took the fourth pitch of the bottom of the first inning deep over the right field fence to give the Wildcats a quick 1-0 lead over Copiah-Lincoln (25-3 overall; 12-1 MACCC). Two batters later, Lainee Bailey (Walker, La.) reached first on a walk and advanced to second on a Bryn Daughtery's (Vancleave) fielder's choice. Bailey scored on an Anna Kate Rounsaville (Gulfport) single that bounced off first base, 2-0. Rounsaville scored on an infield error off the bat of Peyton Hoffmayer (Ocean Springs), 3-0.

The Wildcat defense held firm in the top of the second, registering a three-up, three-down inning. Pitcher Natalie Herrington (Petal) picked up her third strikeout of the game.

Pearl River kept the momentum going in the bottom of the second. Following a walk, Charlee Meadows (Piave; Greene County) advanced to third base on a Lavergne single. Natalie Toups (Brandon; Clinton Christian Academy) scored Meadows on a double to left field, 4-0, and Lavergne advanced to third base. Lavergne added another run, scoring on a passed ball, 5-0. Daughtery came through at the plate again for the Wildcats, scoring Toups on a bloop single over the Copiah-Lincoln shortstop, 6-0.

Herrington gave the defense a break in the top of the third, striking out the side to bring her strikeout total to six.

The Wolves got on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth, opening the inning with a triple and a double to cut the Wildcat lead to five, 6-1.

Lavergne opened the bottom of the fourth with a double to left field. Toups reached base after being hit by a pitch, putting runners on first and third. A Bailey sacrifice fly to center field scored Lavergne, 7-1, and a Daughtery ground out to the Wolve third baseman scored Toups on the next at-bat, 8-1.

Neither team could generate offense in the fifth, and the Wildcats held the Wolves scoreless at the top of the sixth.

Bailey sent the second pitch of the bottom of the sixth over the center field wall to give the Wildcats a walk-off winner, 9-1.

Herrington pitched a complete game for The River, only allowing one earned run on three hits and striking out eight.

Lavergne was 3-for-4 from the plate with three runs scored and one RBI. Bailey was 1-for-2 from the plate with two runs scored and two RBIs. Toups was 1-for-3 with one RBI and two runs scored.

GAME TWO
The Wolves wasted no time getting on the board in game two of the series, with the leadoff hitter sending a shot over the right field wall to take an early 1-0 lead. With a runner on first with a walk, Copiah-Lincoln added to the lead with a double to left center field, 2-0. The Wolves added a third run in the top of the inning following an error on the Wildcat infield, 3-0.

Pearl River answered immediately in the bottom half of the first. With Lavergne reaching first on a walk and advancing to second on a Toups sacrifice bunt, Bailey sent a rocket over the right field fence to cut the Wolves lead to one, 3-2.

The Wolves tacked on another run in the top of the second to double the lead. With a runner on first, the Wildcat outfielder lost track of a fly ball due to the wind, and the runner scored to give the Wolves a 4-2 advantage.

Madelyn Bourgoyne (Walker, La.) narrowed the lead to one in the bottom of the second on a home run to a deep center field. Bourgoyne was asked to come in a precarious situation, pinch-hitting for Meadows with a two-strike count. Facing a two-two count, Bourgoyne left no doubt on her towering homerun, 4-3.

Copiah-Lincoln struck again in the top of the third, scoring a run on an RBI single to left field, 5-3. Continuing the offensive theme of the night, a Hoffmayer two-run homerun scored Rounsaville and tied the game, 5-5, in the bottom of the frame.

The Wildcat pitcher kept the Wolves at bay in the top of the fourth, picking up her sixth and seventh strikeouts of the contest.

Riding the momentum gained in the bottom of the fourth and the top of the fifth, Pearl River took the lead for the first time in game two. Daughtery laced a single to center field with Toups on first, putting runners on the corners. Hoffmayer singled on a line drive to center field, scoring Toups, 6-5. Caitlyn Riche (Walker, La.) followed by ripping her first pitch at bat to right field, scoring Daughtery, 7-5. Hoffmayer scored from third on a Wolve error on a pickoff attempt, extending the Wildcat lead to three, 8-5.

In the top of the fifth, the Wolves took advantage of Wildcat miscues to wrestle the lead away from Pearl River. With two runners on base following a walk and a hit by pitch, the runners advanced to second and third following a wild pitch. The Wolves loaded the bases after another base on balls. With bases loaded, Herrington was called to enter the game in relief for the Wildcats. The Wolves scored on a walk to reduce the Wildcat lead to two, 8-6. Two more Wolves runs were scored by a sacrifice fly to right field and a passed ball, 8-8. Following a Herrington strikeout, the Wolves plated two more runs on a single and double to center field, 10-8. Rounsaville, in relief, secured the third out of the inning with a flyout to left fielder Ashlyn Dean (Picayune; Pearl River Central).

The Wildcats fought back in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings against the Wolves. Lavergne reached first with a flair over the outstretched first baseman's glove to give the Wildcats a runner. Bailey wasted no time, sending the first pitch of her at-bat deep over the right-centerfield fence to tie the game, 10-10.

Copiah-Lincoln answered at the top of the eighth, scoring two runs and giving them a 12-10 victory.

Bailey was 2-for-4 from the plate with two home runs, four RBIs and two runs scored. Hoffmayer was 3-for-5 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Lavergne was 1-for-4 and two runs scored.

NEXT UP
The Wildcats will travel to Scooba to take on East Mississippi on Saturday. Gametimes are 1/3 p.m. and you can follow the action at EMCCLive.com.

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