No. 2 Pearl River bounces back, blasts No. 14 Jones College 19-3

Abel Thetford (Bossier City, La.; Parkway) celebrates after hitting his first collegiate home run against No. 14 Jones College (Karisa Watkins/PRCC Athletics).

POPLARVILLE, Miss. (THN News) — The No. 2 Pearl River baseball team bounced back in a big way after a tough 6-1 loss to No. 25 Gulf Coast earlier in the day, erupting for 19 runs in the nightcap to roll past No. 14 Jones College, 19-3.

"Credit to our guys for playing a lot harder in game two," head coach Michael Avalon said. "That was the message between games — I just didn't think we played hard in the first game. That's a reflection of us. We've got to make sure when they say play ball, we get after it. I feel like we did a much better job of that in game two."

NO. 25 GULF COAST 6, NO. 2 PEARL RIVER 1.

Pearl River (13-5 overall) struck first against Gulf Coast (11-3), turning a leadoff single by Gatlin Pitts (Fairhope, Ala.; Bayside Academy) into a run when Coy Clements (Hattiesburg; Oak Grove) followed with an RBI single for a 1-0 lead.

From there, it was all Bulldogs. Gulf Coast scored in the second, fourth, fifth, and seventh innings to pull away and secure the 6-1 win.

Nico Williams (Gulfport) worked three innings, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out two. Colin Jenkins (Mt. Olive; Simpson Academy) tossed 1 2/3 innings, surrendering two runs on three hits. JP Abt (Brandon; Hartfield Academy) pitched two innings, giving up one run and striking out two. Wilkes Johnson (Jackson; Madison Ridgeland Academy) recorded the final outs.

Clements led the Wildcats offensively, going 2-for-3 with an RBI.

NO. 2 PEARL RIVER 19, NO. 14 JONES COLLEGE 3.

Tyrese Johnson (West Point) set the tone in game two, working around two Wildcat miscues to keep Jones College (12-4) scoreless in the opening frame. Pearl River gave him early support in the bottom half as leadoff hitter Jackson Estes (Madison; Germantown) singled and scored on a Chap Cook (Canton; Canton Academy) RBI single to make it 1-0.

After a 1-2-3 inning from the right-hander, the Wildcats went back to work at the plate. Abel Thetford (Bossier City, La.; Parkway) launched a 369-foot solo homer to opposite field, and Cook later drew a bases-loaded walk to extend the lead to 3-0.

Pearl River broke things open with five runs in the third inning. Jackson Beddoe (Sulphur, La.) drove in the first run with a single before the Wildcats loaded the bases for Clements. The catcher crushed the first pitch he saw over straightaway center for a 444-foot grand slam, pushing the advantage to 8-0.

Johnson followed with another hitless, scoreless inning in the fourth, working around a leadoff hit by pitch. Williams later scored in the inning after singling and coming home on a fielder's choice off Kyler King's (Picayune) bat, making it 9-0.

The Wildcats put the game out of reach with a 10-run fifth inning. Ethan Garner (Gulfport) doubled in a run, Thetford was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, and Abt delivered a two-run single to make it 13-0. A Jones error brought home another run, Estes added an RBI single to right-center, and Clements capped his big day with a two-run double. Williams finished the scoring with a 405-foot, two-run homer to give Pearl River a commanding 19-0 lead.

Jones College scored three runs in the top of the seventh, but PRCC closed the game with a groundout to seal the 19-3 victory.

Johnson earned the win, throwing four hitless, scoreless innings while walking two and striking out three.

"I pulled him off to the side and told him how proud of him I am," Avalon said. "It's been great to see him respond the last two times out, but we've reminded him he's got to gain confidence from it and keep going."

Slade Shove-Knox (Sulphur, La.) and Jarvis Woody (Ridgeland) each tossed a scoreless inning. Shove-Knox struck out two, while Woody punched out three. McDonald worked the final inning, allowing three runs and striking out two.

NEXT UP

Pearl River returns to action Friday for a 4 p.m. showdown against NJCAA Division I foe, No. 19 Northwest Florida.

TICKETS

Season and single-game tickets are on sale now at PRCCAthletics.com/Tickets. Season tickets are $120. Single-game tickets are $9 if purchased in advance or $11 if purchased on game day.