POPLARVILLE – Pearl River Community College continued to get the job done in MACJC play, sweeping a doubleheader from Northeast Mississippi Saturday at Booneville.
The Wildcats grabbed a 4-0 lead in the opener and rolled to a 5-3 victory, then came from behind to defeat the Tigers 5-4 in the second game.
Fourteenth-ranked PRCC (19-4) remained undefeated in conference play at 4-0; Northeast dropped to 12-9 and 3-3. Pearl River has won nine of its last 10 games.
Sophomore Simon Landry (Ponchatoula, La.) smacked a three-run home run in the top of the fifth to power the Wildcats in Game 1. Freshman Colin Danley (Lucedale) and sophomore Colby White (Foxworth) threw two innings of perfect relief to hold a one-run lead in the nightcap.
After three scoreless innings, the Wildcats broke on top in the top of the fourth inning with a run.
With one out, freshman Noah Barron (Hoover, Ala.) singled and redshirt-freshman Matt Taylor (Raleigh) drew a walk. A wild pitch moved the runners to second and third, and Barron scored on a groundout.
PRCC added three more runs in the fifth after two were out.
Sophomore Derek Eberly (Blountstown, Fla.) walked and went to third on a single by redshirt-sophomore Bryson Medious (Columbia). Both runners trotted home after Landry smacked his eighth homer of the season to rightfield.
The Tigers got a run back in the bottom of the fourth, but the Wildcats added to their lead in the top of the fifth without a hit.
Freshman Wiley Cleland (Columbia) drew a leadoff walk, stole second, took third on a groundout and scored on a dropped third strike.
Freshman Shemar Page (Raleigh) went six innings, giving up six hits and one run. He struck out seven and walked just one. Freshman Jerod Meggs (Kosciusko) got through the seventh and eight without incident, but ran into trouble in the bottom of the ninth.
With one out in the ninth, Meggs surrendered a walk, and that run scored on a two-out double. A single put runners on first and second, and brought White out of the bullpen. His first pitch was a run-scoring single, but then got a flyout to nail down the win.
Page improved to 5-0 for the season, and White earned his third save of the season.
Northeast grabbed a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third off redshirt sophomore Drake Nightengale (Sumrall), but the Wildcats tied it up in the top of the fourth.
Barron earned a leadoff walk, then Taylor reached on a fielder's choice. Cleland singled and a groundout on a slow roller to first moved the runners up a base, and both runners scored on a single by freshman Magruder O'Bannon (Long Beach).
Pearl River took the lead in the fifth with a three-run rally. Eberly was hit by a pitch to lead off and came all the way around to score on a double by Medious. Landry and Barron walked to load the bases and Taylor drove in two runs with a single.
Northeast narrowed the margin with two runs in the fifth, opening the inning with a single and a double to get a run home. Sophomore Luke Bradley (Pass Christian) came on in relief and immediately gave up a run-scoring single.
However, Bradley set down the next three batters to get out of the fifth. Danley needed just 10 pitches to get a groundout and two strikeouts in the sixth, and White needed just 12 pitches to get two strikeouts and a groundout for his second save of the day.
Nightengale (2-0) earned the win, and White increased his save total to four for the season.
The Wildcats will return to Dub Herring Park next Tuesday to take on Mississippi Gulf Coast in a 3 p.m. doubleheader.
PRCC BASEBALL LINESCORES
Saturday at Booneville
Pearl River 5, Northeast 3
PRCC 000 131 000 – 5 9 0
NEMCC 000 010 002 – 3 10 0
PEARL RIVER (18-4, 3-0 in MACJC): Derek Eberly 2 1B; Bryson Medious 1B; Simon Landry HR (3-run), 2B; Noah Barron 2B, 1B; Matt Taylor 1B; Wiley Cleland 1B. WP – Shemar Page (5-0). Save – Colby White (3). Also pitching – Jerod Meggs.
NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI (12-8, 3-2 in MACJC): Parker HaberstrohJacob Wilcher 1B; Tucker Childers 1B; Anthony Lipsey 2 1B; Colt Chrestman 2 1B; Thomas Stevens 2B; Conner Boyer 2B, 1B. LP – Tyler Samaniego (0-4). Also pitching – Caleb Griffin; Dylan Gatlin.
Pearl River 5, Northeast 4
PRCC 000 230 0 – 5 10 0
NEMCC 002 020 0 – 4 7 0
PEARL RIVER (18-4, 4-0 in MACJC): Bryson Medious 2B, 2 1B; Noah Barron 2 1B; Matt Taylor 1B; Wiley Cleland 2 1B; Luke Harper 1B; Magruder O'Bannon 1B. WP – Drake Nightengale (2-0). Save – Colby White (4). Also pitching – Luke Bradley; Colin Danley.
NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI (12-9, 3-3 in MACJC): Parker Haberstroh 1B; Jacob Wilcher 3 2B; Travis Childers 2 1B; Caleb Todd 1B. LP – Tanner Smith (2-1). Also pitching – Reed Markle.