POPLARVILLE, Miss. — No. 5 Pearl River opened Region 23 Tournament play in commanding fashion, rolling past 10-seed Northeast 10-2 in six innings behind a five-RBI effort from Jaycee Holifield (Stringer; Laurel).

"They played with freedom and were all-in. Even if the approach changed, we stuck to what we needed to do," head coach Christie Meeks said. "They found their comfort zone and passed the bat. They were playing for each other and for something bigger.

"We're playing at our home field, and what an amazing atmosphere we had. It just gives you some extra juice coming to the plate."

The Wildcats now turn their attention to tomorrow's winner's bracket game against the winner of 3-seed Jones and 6-seed Itawamba. The contest will get underway at 1 p.m.

"We just have to compete," Meeks said. "This time of year is about which team wants it more and takes advantage of its opportunities."

Northeast (39-15) struck first against Pearl River (41-6) as the third batter of the game launched an 0-1 pitch over the wall in right-center for a solo home run and a 1-0 lead.

It didn't take long for Pearl River to answer. Kai Goodman (New Orleans, La.; John Curtis) and Addy Grace Alexander (Poplarville) opened the frame with back-to-back singles, and Shania Fondren (Batesville; South Panola) worked a walk to load the bases. Holifield delivered the early punch, dropping a two-run single into no-man's land to put PRCC in front, 2-1. Two batters later, Emmaleigh Theriot (Prairieville, La.; St. Amant) beat out a chopper to short for an RBI infield single, stretching the lead to 3-1.

Both sides went quiet in the second and third before Pearl River escaped a major threat in the fourth. The Tigers loaded the bases and sent a towering fly ball toward the outfield, but it died at the warning track — just shy of a momentum-shifting grand slam.

The Wildcats seized that momentum in the bottom half. Sacrifice flies from Alexander and Fondren pushed the lead to 5-1, and Holifield added her third RBI of the day with a single to left to make it 6-1.

Northeast chipped away with a solo homer in the sixth, trimming the deficit to 6-2, but Pearl River quickly put the game out of reach. Alexander led off with a single, and Natalee Eaves (Louisville; Choctaw Central) followed with a double to put both runners in scoring position. Holifield came through again, shooting a two-run single through the right side to extend the lead to 8-2. A Tiger miscue made it 9-2 before Teegan DeWitt (Pass Christian; Hancock) ended it with a walk-off RBI single, 10-2.

LEADING THE WAY
Duncan earned her 13th win of the season, tossing six innings of two-run ball. She allowed just three hits and four walks while striking out six.

"Their three- and four-hole hitters have double-digit home runs," Meeks said. "Ann Elise did a great job of keeping them off balance and throwing with a purpose."

Holifield paced the offense, going 3-for-4 with five RBIs.

"Jaycee has been a constant leader," Meeks said. "She plays with a lot of emotion, and I think that's something you have to have when the game is on the line. For her to do what she does day in and day out is special."

Goodman, Alexander, Eaves, Anastasia Acree (Mobile, Ala.; Alma Bryant) and DeWitt each added two hits.

TICKETS
Tickets for the Region 23 Tournament are $15 per day and are on sale now at PRCCAthletics.com/tickets.

TUNE IN
The entirety of the Region 23 Tournament will be livestreamed for free at PRCCMedia.com. 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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