DECATUR, Miss. – The No. 5 Pearl River softball team left Decatur with a hard-fought split against No. 14 East Central on Wednesday. East Central used an early offensive surge to take game one, 6-2. The Wildcats responded with strong offense and solid defense in a dominant 8-0 game two gem.
"In game two, I was proud of the fight they had to come back. Our hitters had an explosive game two. I am proud of them for finishing," Pearl River head coach Christie Meeks said.
"With Northwest-Shoals this Friday, we have things we need to clean up going into the Jones series. With a non-conference series, we will look to fix things and get hot."
GAME ONE
Pearl River (37-8 overall; 19-5 MACCC) struggled to find rhythm early in game one against East Central (29-11 overall; 14-6 MACCC). The Wildcats only put one runner on base in the first two innings. Natalie Toups (Brandon; Clinton Christian Academy) reached first on a single to right field in the first inning.
East Central found offense early in game one, scoring three runs in both the bottom of the first and second innings, 6-0.
Both teams' defense tightened up in the third and fourth innings, with the only hit coming on a Lainee Bailey (Walker, La.) single at the top of the fourth.
The Wildcats cut the Warrior lead in the top of the fifth inning. Peyton Hoffmayer (Ocean Springs) walked to open the inning and stole second to give the Wildcats a runner in scoring position. Hoffmayer scored on a CharLee Meadows (Piave; Greene County) line drive single to right field, 1-0. Alexa Womack (Prairieville, La.; Dutchtown), pinch-hitting for Toups, drove a pitch to deep center, scoring Meadows for an RBI double, 6-2.
The Warriors threatened in the bottom of the fifth, putting a runner on third with two outs. Relief pitcher Bryn Daughtery (Vancleave) held off East Central with a strikeout to end the inning.
The last two innings continued to be a defensive battle, and the Warriors secured a 6-2 game one win.
Bailey pitched 1 2/3 innings, striking out two and giving up five earned runs. Daughtery pitched 4 1/3 innings in relief, striking out three.
Meadows batted one-for-three with one RBI and one run scored. Womack was one-for-one from the plate with one RBI.
GAME TWO
After two scoreless innings, Pearl River jumped out on the Warriors, scoring six runs in the top of the third. Meadows and Lavergne opened the inning with back-to-back walks, followed by a single from Toups to load the bases with no outs. Bailey put the Wildcats on the board with an RBI walk, 1-0. Daughtery (Vancleave) added two more runs with a two-run single on a hard ground ball to center field, 3-0. In the next at-bat, Anna Kate Rounsaville (Gulfport) scored Daughtery on a sacrifice fly to right field, 4-0. Hoffmayer continued the onslaught with a two-run home run over left field to bring the score to 6-0.
The game turned into a defensive battle, with neither team threatening in the fourth and fifth innings. Starter Natalie Herrington (Petal) helped her cause, striking out three in the fourth and fifth.
The Wildcats added insurance in the top of the sixth. Caroline Lindsey (Gulfport) opened the frame with a line drive single to right field. Meadows followed with a double to left field, advancing Lindsey to third. Lavernge sent the second pitch to center field in the next at-bat, scoring Lindsey and Meadows, 8-0.
Herrington closed out the game, striking out two of three batters faced in the bottom of the sixth, securing an 8-0 Wildcat victory.
Herrington struck five batters and only allowed three hits in a complete game effort.
"Nat threw fantastic in game two. She competed well." Meeks said.
Lavergne was 2-for-3 from the plate with two RBIs and one run scored. Hoffmayer was 1-for-3 with a two-run home run. Daughtery batted 1-for-4 with two RBIs and one run scored.
NEXT UP
On Friday, the Wildcats will face Northwest-Shoals in a double-header on the Mississippi University for Women campus in Columbus. Game times are 1/3 p.m.
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