No. 2 Pearl River splits with Northwest and Meridian

MERIDIAN, Miss. (THN News) — No. 2 Pearl River baseball split a two-game round robin tournament Saturday, homering four times as it defeated Northwest 7-3 before it fell 7-1 against Meridian. 

"You have got to separate the games," head coach Michael Avalon said. "I don't think we played great in the first game, but we played well enough to win. We've got to do a better job of scoring runners in scoring position. We also have to do a better job of making big pitches and getting out of jams."

GAME ONE 

Both Pearl River (10-3 overall) and Northwest (5-3) put a runner on in the first inning but failed to score. The Rangers struck first in the top of the second with an RBI single.

The Wildcats responded in the bottom of the third. Jackson Beddoe (Sulphur, La.) was hit by a pitch and Gatlin Pitts (Fairhope, Ala., Bayside Academy) reached on a bunt single, setting the stage for Jackson Hood (Madison, Germantown) to launch a three-run home run and give Pearl River the lead.

Pearl River added to its advantage in the third inning. Chap Cook (Canton, Canton Academy) doubled on a fly ball to right field before Coy Clements (Hattiesburg, Oak Grove) followed with his third home run of the season, extending the lead to 5-1.

Tyrese Johnson (West Point) worked three innings, allowing one run on two hits to earn the win. Gabe Hodges(Flowood, Northwest Rankin) relieved Johnson in the fourth and immediately retired the Rangers in order.

In the bottom half of the inning, Pitts provided insurance with his first home run of the season, pushing the lead to 6-1.

Northwest answered in the fifth with a two-run homer to cut the deficit to three. Pearl River responded in the sixth, drawing a walk before back-to-back singles from Clements and Jackson Estes (Madison, Germantown) plated another run, making it 7-3.

Dalton Graham (Conehatta, Newton County) was a standout out of the bullpen, tossing 2.2 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit while striking out four.

GAME TWO 

Meridian (7-1) wasted no time in the nightcap, scoring three runs in the first inning.

Pearl River answered in the second when Clements belted a solo home run over the right fielder's head to make it 3-1.

Meridian added an RBI single in the third to extend the lead to 4-1. The Eagles continued to control the game, adding runs in the fourth and fifth while limiting the Wildcats to walks and scattered hits.

Pearl River managed to get its leadoff batter on base with a walk, but failed to bring them in as the Wildcats fell against Meridian 7-1. 

NEXT UP 

Pearl River heads back home to take on UA Rich Mountain in a three-game series. The Wildcats will play twice on Saturday at 2 and 5 p.m. before playing game three of the series on Sunday at 1 p.m.

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.

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.

Games will also be available over the air in Pearl River County by tuning into 1320-AM and 106.9 FM. The radio broadcast is also available at WRJWRadio.com and by downloading the WRJW app.