PANAMA CITY, Fla. — No. 2 Pearl River baseball swept day one of the Visit Panama City Beach Classic, defeating Wallace State-Dothan 8-2 and Tallahassee State 10-5.
"I was proud of the way we battled, especially when we were down," head coach Michael Avalon said. "I hope we don't play many teams more talented than they are because they were very talented. I'm proud of our guys. Several players came up with big hits and made big plays today."
GAME ONE
The Wildcats (3-0 overall) opened the day with Ethan Garner (Gulfport) hammering a fastball into right-center field and legging out a leadoff double against Wallace State–Dothan (0–1), setting the tone for a five-run first inning.
Following Garner's double, Jackson Hood (Madison; Germantown) drew a walk to put two runners on for Coy Clements (Hattiesburg; Oak Grove), who delivered with a single to score Garner from second. Two batters later, Chap Cook (Canton; Canton Academy) brought home both Clements and Hood with his first collegiate triple.
Kyler King (Picayune), in his first at-bat, grounded into a fielder's choice that scored Cook from third, pushing Pearl River's lead to 4-0 with two outs. Jackson Estes (Madison; Germantown) then walked before Gatlin Pitts (Fairhope, Ala.; Daphne) doubled to drive in the final run of the inning. Wallace State eventually escaped the frame, but not before the Wildcats had built a 5-0 lead.
In the second, Garner stepped to the plate with one out, singled, and later scored on a wild pitch for the inning's lone run. Pearl River stayed hot in the third as Cook launched a solo home run over the right-field wall, putting the Wildcats on the board for the third straight inning.
On the mound, Cal Culpepper (Meridian; Clarkdale) was dominant for Pearl River, striking out eight over five innings. He allowed just one hit and issued no walks in his first outing of the season before exiting after the fifth.
Freshman Slade Shove-Knox (Sulphur, La.) took over in relief and surrendered the Wildcats' only two runs of the game, but worked out of a bases-loaded jam to limit the damage.
In the top of the seventh, Pearl River added another run following a Hood double and a Nico Williams (Gulfport) single before Wallace State loaded the bases and issued a walk to Logan Fontanelle (Biloxi).
In the bottom of the seventh, Trace McDonald (Sandy Hook; West Marion) entered before handing the ball to Tyrese Johnson (West Point), who closed out the game as Pearl River secured an 8–2 victory.
GAME TWO
After defeating Wallace State, Pearl River immediately took the field for game two of the day against Tallahassee State (1–3).
Both teams threatened in the opening inning, but Tallahassee State struck first. Following a two-out dropped third strike, the Eagles capitalized with a two-run home run to take an early 2–0 lead.
Pearl River didn't trail for long, responding with four runs in the bottom of the second. Landon Hawkins (Sumrall) led off the inning by reaching on an error, and walks to Pitts and Bryce Duszak (Appleton, Wis.; Menasha) loaded the bases for Jackson Beddoe (Sulphur, La.). Beddoe delivered with a line-drive double into left field, scoring Hawkins and Pitts. Duszak later crossed the plate on a King sacrifice fly, and Garner followed with a single up the middle to score Beddoe and give the Wildcats a 4–2 advantage after two innings.
Drew Harrison (Madison; Germantown) ran into trouble on the mound in the fourth frame, prompting Colin Jenkins (Mt. Olive; Simpson Academy) to enter in relief. Tallahassee State managed to push across three runs in the top of the fourth to take the lead at 5–4.
After a scoreless fifth inning, Jenkins returned to the mound and found his rhythm, retiring the side in order to send the game to the bottom half of the frame. His flawless inning sparked the Pearl River offense, as Hood opened the inning with a double before Clements drove him in with a single in the next at-bat.
Tied at five runs apiece, Jenkins returned to the mound and delivered another three-up, three-down inning, highlighted by a double play. Once again, his performance sparked the offense, as Duszak led off the inning with a double.
Gardner Young (Madison; Jackson Prep) entered as a pinch runner for Duszak. With a runner on second, Beddoe stepped to the plate showing bunt. He laid it down, beat out the throw, and the errant toss rolled into right field, allowing Young to score and give the Wildcats a 6–5 lead.
Three batters later, Beddoe stood on third as Hood came to the plate. With Hood already 2-for-2 on the day, Tallahassee issued an intentional walk to face Clements. With two outs, Clements stayed inside the ball and drove it off the center-field wall, scoring both Beddoe and Hood to extend Pearl River's lead to 8–5.
Following a pitching change by the Eagles, Logan Fontanelle stepped in and turned on a pitch, blasting Pearl River's third home run of the season.
JP Abt (Brandon; Hartfield Academy) took over for Jenkins in the seventh and induced two groundouts and a flyout to close it out, as Pearl River defeated Tallahassee 10–5.
LEADING THE WAY
Hood finished the day 4-for-5 with two doubles, two singles, and three walks. Clements also had a strong day at the plate, going 4-for-7 with three singles, a double, and a walk, while leading the Wildcats with four RBIs.
Cook made the most of his opportunities, finishing 2-for-3 with a triple and a home run. Fontenelle accounted for the other home run of the day, coming off the bench in game two to deliver a two-run shot.
NEXT UP
Pearl River finishes up the Visit Panama City Beach Classic by playing John A. Logan at 10 a.m. and Chipola College at 3 p.m.
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