SPARTANBURG, S.C. — The No. 5 Pearl River Wildcats softball softball team may have fallen behind against No. 4 Rock Valley, but the Wildcats knew exactly how to respond.
Pearl River stormed back Thursday afternoon to defeat the Golden Eagles 7-4, advancing to the NJCAA World Series Quarterfinals for the first time in program history.
"I walked to the circle when our emotions were all over the place," head coach Christie Meeks said. "I told them that we hadn't been emotional all year, that we've been steady. As soon as I stopped talking, they rallied behind each other and said they weren't going to lose. That was the gamechanger right there."
The Wildcats will face No. 1 Kirkwood Friday at 11 a.m. ET (10 a.m. CT) for a chance to advance to the semifinals.
Pearl River (45-7 overall) struck first as Shania Fondren (Batesville; South Panola) narrowly missed a home run, settling instead for an RBI double off the wall in left field to make it 1-0. Rock Valley (57-4) answered in the bottom half, scoring on a passed ball to even the game at 1-1.
The Wildcats regained the lead in the third. Natalee Eaves (Louisville; Choctaw Central) worked a walk, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error. Fondren then forced another Golden Eagle miscue to bring Eaves home and put PRCC back in front, 2-1.
Again, Rock Valley responded, using a walk and two singles to plate a pair of runs and take a 3-2 lead.
Pearl River finally broke through in the fifth. Anastasia Acree (Mobile, Ala.; Alma Bryant) and Kai Goodman (New Orleans, La.; John Curtis) opened the inning with back-to-back singles. After a strikeout, Eaves ripped an RBI single to tie the game, 3-3. Two batters later, Jaycee Holifield (Laurel; Stringer) stepped to the plate and delivered once again in a big moment, driving a ball into the left-center gap for a two-run double that gave the Wildcats a 5-3 advantage.
PRCC added two more runs in the sixth when Fondren lined a ball off the glove of the Rock Valley first baseman and through the left side for a two-run single, stretching the lead to 7-3. RVCC answered with a run in the bottom of the inning before Ana-Grace Garcia (Baton Rouge, La.; St. Joseph's Academy) recorded a strikeout to limit the damage, 7-4.
In the seventh, Garcia worked around two singles, inducing a fly out and a ground out to close the game and send Pearl River into the quarterfinal round.
Garcia tossed a complete game, allowing four runs on nine hits and one walk while striking out six. The victory marked her 20th win of the season.
Goodman, Eaves and Fondren each recorded two hits in the win. Fondren drove in three runs, while Holifield added two RBIs. Both players finished with doubles.
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets are $15 per day and tournament passes are $50. Children 12 & under will be admitted for FREE.
TUNE IN
The entire 2026 NJCAA Division II Softball World Series will be streamed live on the NJCAA Network. A day pass costs $12, a tournament pass is available for $35 and an all-access pass costs $100.
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