BOONEVILLE, Miss. — After a week without playing, it would have been easy for No. 1 Pearl River softball to show some rust in its MACCC opener — but the Wildcats did just the opposite.
Pearl River went on the road Saturday and swept No. 19 Northeast, taking game one 6-3 before finishing off the Tigers with an 11-5 win in the nightcap.
"In the first game, we battled and battled. That showed up in the end. We stayed focused on the game plan that we had set instead of the things that didn't go our way," head coach Christie Meeks said. "The pitchers really had to battled today, so I was proud of them for keeping their heads on straight and using their strengths. I felt the same about our hitters. They were very mature and took advantage of the opportunities that were given to them.
GAME ONE
Pearl River (18-2 overall; 2-0 MACCC) struck early in game one against Northeast (23-5; 0-4 MACCC). Five batters into the game, the Wildcats loaded the bases and Jaycee Holifield (Laurel; Stringer) drew a four-pitch walk to drive in the first run.
The Tigers didn't let the quick deficit faze them, answering with two runs in the bottom of the first. Starting pitcher Ana-Grace Garcia (Baton Rouge, La.; St. Joseph's) settled down after that frame, keeping Northeast off the board for the next three innings.
The Wildcats tied it in the fourth. Emmaleigh Thertiot (Prairieville, La.; St. Amant) singled, moved to second on a sacrifice and stole third. Kai Goodman (New Orleans; John Curtis) followed with a game-tying single, 2-2.
Pearl River took the lead in the fifth. Maeli Ben (Conehatta; Newton County) drove in Natalee Eaves (Louisville; Choctaw Central), who had reached on a walk, giving the Wildcats a 3-2 edge. With two outs and a runner in scoring position, freshman Zion Seals (Shannon; Nettleton) came off the bench and laced an RBI single to extend the lead to 4-2.
Northeast cut the lead in half in the bottom half, but the Wildcats added two insurance runs in the seventh on a Holifield single and an Anastasia Acree (Mobile, Ala.; Alma Bryant) double, finishing 6-3.
Teegan DeWitt (Pass Christian; Hancock) pitched the final 2 2/3 innings, allowing just two hits and a walk while striking out three. Garcia earned the win, tossing 4 1/3 innings, giving up three runs on three hits and four walks with two strikeouts. Goodman, Holifield and Theriot each had two hits, and Holifield drove in two runs.
GAME TWO
Game two remained scoreless through the first two innings before Pearl River exploded for four runs in the third. Addy Grace Alexander (Poplarville) singled to start the inning, and Shania Fondren (Batesville; South Panola) crushed a two-run homer over the left-field wall, her 14th of the season, giving PRCC a 2-0 lead. After two consecutive hit-by-pitches, Theriot doubled in two more runs, pushing the lead to 4-0.
Northeast responded with a run in the bottom half, but the Wildcats added four more in the fourth. Alexander drove in a run, Fondren tallied a sacrifice fly and Ben added a rare two-run sacrifice fly, extending the lead to 8-1. The Tigers trimmed it to 8-3 with two runs in the bottom of the fourth, but Pearl River answered with a run in each of the final three innings. Goodman had an RBI groundout, Fondren hit her second homer of the game (15th of the year) and Seals drove in a run through the left side. Northeast added two late runs in the bottom of the seventh, but the Wildcats held on to win 11-5.
Ann Elise Duncan (McComb; Brookhaven Academy) threw a complete game for the win, giving up five runs on five hits and five walks while striking out four. Alexander went 3-for-3 at the plate, Fondren finished with two hits and four RBIs, and Ben and Theriot each drove in two runs.
"AG was tough in the two-hole tonight," Meeks said. "She put pressure on the defense and made them make plays. I was really proud of what she brought to us tonight as well."
NEXT UP
Pearl River returns to Wildcat Stadium Wednesday for an ever-important matchup against rival Jones College. First pitch for the doubleheader is scheduled for 4 p.m.
TICKETS
Season and single-game tickets are on sale now at PRCCAthletics.com/Tickets. Season tickets are $70. Single-game tickets are $9 if purchased in advance or $11 if purchased on game day.
TUNE IN
All home Pearl River baseball games are livestreamed for free at PRCCMedia.com/Gold. Fans with Roku, Amazon Fire or Apple TV devices can also watch the Wildcat broadcasts by downloading the "Pearl River CC" channel from their app stores.
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