COLUMBUS, Miss. — The No. 5 Pearl River softball team was victorious in a two-game sweep over Northwest-Shoals. The Wildcats strung together hits, often with two outs, to overcome the Patriots, winning game one 8-3 and game two 6-2.
"I was very proud of how we cleaned some things up today," head coach Christie Meeks said. "We worked through the things that we have been needing to correct. It really was a great and productive series for us."
GAME ONE
Natalie Herrington (Petal) set the tone in the bottom of the first for the Wildcats (39-8 overall). She opened her outing with two strikeouts before recording the third out herself, a grounder she fired to Bryn Daughtery (Vancleave) on first base, retiring the Patriots (20-26).
In the second inning, the scoring began. Pearl River capitalized on an error and walked. With two outs, Morgan Lavergne (Baton Rouge, La.; Central) singled into the outfield, scoring Alexa Womack (Prairieville, La.; Dutchtown) and Caroline Lindsey (Gulfport). The Patriots responded quickly, taking advantage of an error as well. The score sat 2-1 after two innings, and before the third had ended, Northwest-Shoals had tied the game at two.
In the fourth inning, and again with two outs, Pearl River's Lavergne shot a single through the right side. Natalie Toups (Brandon; Clinton Christian Academy) followed that up with a long triple, scoring Lavergne, 3-2 PRCC. In the bottom half, another error caught Pearl River. Aside from that, Herrington produced a clean inning.
Pearl River added two more runs in the fifth. The inning began with a walk and an error, placing runners on second and third with no one out. Caroline Lindsey (Gulfport) shot a hard grounder into left field, advancing the baserunners one base each, scoring Klair Cuevas (Poplarville; Hancock). Before the inning closed, Madelyn Bourgoyne (Walker, La.) launched a sacrifice fly into right field, scoring Anna Kate Rounsaville (Gulfport). Northwest-Shoals fought back, scraping one run across and setting the score at 5-3 PRCC.
The Wildcats broke the score open in the sixth, plating three runs on one swing. Again, the runs came with two outs. Peyton Hoffmayer (Ocean Springs) belted the long homer over the left field wall. She scored Lainee Bailey (Walker, La.) and Rounsaville. The remainder of the game went quietly as only a single batter reached base. The game closed 8-3.
Hoffmayer was 1-for-3 with a run scored. She tallied three RBIs, hitting the lone homerun of the afternoon for the Wildcats. She also drew a walk. Lavergne went 2-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored. She was the only Wildcat with more than one hit.
Herrington tossed all seven innings for the Wildcats. She scattered five hits and five strikeouts. She gave up two earned runs while walking two Patriots.
GAME TWO
The first two innings of game two proved important for Pearl River. The Wildcats took advantage of a struggling opposing starter, racking up three runs in the first and second. The game began with Lavergne double into right field. With two outs in the first, Rounsaville doubled into center field, plating Lavergne and Toups, who had walked. Hoffmayer followed that up with a double of her own. While she was thrown out advancing to third, Rounsaville scored, making it 3-0 Wildcats.
The second offensive inning for the Wildcats began with a four-pitch walk by Lindsey. Caitlyn Riche (Walker, La.) then singled before Lavergne singled, bringing home Lindsey and making it 4-0. The Wildcats capitalized on a Patriots error that resulted in two more runs scoring, 6-0 PRCC.
Bailey lacked her best quality but managed to keep batters from scoring, often working with runners on base. Time and time again, she produced clutch strikeouts and grabbed weak contact when needed. Two untimely walks led to two runs for Northeast-Shoals. At the end of the third, the Wildcats led 6-2.
No more batters would cross the plate in game two as both pitchers worked tightly. In the bottom of the seventh, Bailey allowed a four-pitch walk. The runner made their way around the bases and to third. The next batter hit a comebacker to Bailey, who threw to first for one out and then caught the runner on third, trying to score at home. After the hope-ruining double play, Bailey promptly punched out one more batter to end the game.
Lavergne was 3-for-4 with a double. She added an RBI and also scored once. She was the only batter with more than one hit. Toups scored twice, walking once. Rounsaville went 1-for-1 with a double and two RBIs. Hoffmayer was 1-for-3 with one RBI.
Bailey had the complete game for the Wildcats, throwing seven innings while allowing two runs on four hits. She also struck out seven batters.
NEXT UP
The Wildcats return home Wednesday to take on Jones College. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.
TICKETS
Game day tickets can be purchased at PRCCAthletics.com/Tickets. General admission tickets are $8 per game.
HOW TO WATCH
The Wildcats livestream all games for free at PRCCMedia.com/gold. Fans who have Roku, Amazon Fire or Apple TV devices can also watch the Wildcat broadcasts by downloading the "Pearl River CC" channel from their app stores.
For the latest on Pearl River Community College athletics, follow us on Twitter (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).
PRESS RELEASE WRITTEN BY PRCC ATHLETICS INTERN JAXON DUNAWAY.