POPLARVILLE, Miss. — The Pearl River No. 2 baseball team hosted Northwest at Dub Herring Park on Saturday for the first MACCC doubleheader of the season. The teams battled to a split, with the Rangers winning Game 1 6-4 and the Wildcats winning Game 2 on a single, 10-9.
“I thought we played tough today. Northwest are a really good team, and I knew coming into the game they had really good arms. They threw the ball extremely well,” said the head coach Michael Avalon “I challenged our guys to be tough. It was a tough day and I thought we got a lot tougher as the day went on. Hopefully we can grow from that and “We improve because of that. They’re a good club and I’m glad we found a way to win in the end.
FIRST GAME
Turner Switchak (Hattiesburg; Oak Grove) teeed off in Game 1 and pitched a scoreless first inning.
Gabe Broadus (Wilmer, Al; Faith Academy) opened the scoring for the Wildcats (12-4 overall; 1-1 MACCC) in Game 1 when he had just scored on a ground fly by Alex Perry (McComb; North Pike).
Northwest (11-7; 1-1) fought back immediately after, scoring twice in the top of the second inning to lead 2-1.
The Wildcats responded late in the third as Broadus came back to score, this time on an RBI hit from Tate Parker (Gulfport; West Harrison).
The Rangers extended the lead to 4-2 on a two-run homer.
The Wildcats tied the game in the seventh as Preston Soper (Madison; Germantown) came in to score on a pitch from Parker, followed by a wild pitch that scored Taylor Woodcock (Pass Christian; West Harrison).
Northwest again took the lead in the top of the eighth on an RBI triple, but Cole Tolbert (Laurel; West Jones) managed to clear the jam to limit the damage.
The Wildcats charged the bases late in the inning but were deflected by the Rangers pitcher.
Northwest added an insurance run in the ninth and used the momentum to take the win, taking the opener 6-4.
Swistak pitched five innings in Game 1 and struck out four. Bobby Magee (Petal) pitched two innings in relief and struck out two on strike. Tolbert pitched 1 2/3 innings, striking out two batters.
Parker led the Wildcats in Game 1 with two hits. He also drove in two innings.
Broadus, Mercer, Walters and Soper all had one hit each. Broadus scored two points. Perry drove in a race in the contest.
SECOND GAME
The Rangers struck first in Game 2 getting an RBI single, but the Wildcats responded late first on a Matt Mercier (Richton; Petal) sacrificial fly.
Rangers added three more in the third to take the lead to 4-1.
Pearl River responded immediately, getting a sacrificial fly from Soper and base-laden marches from Mercer and DK Donaldson (Gulfport; West Harrison) to tie the score 4-4.
Rangers regained the lead with a three-run homer in the fourth to go ahead 7-4.
Pearl River salvaged a run in the bottom of the fourth on Woodcock’s first home run of the year, cutting the deficit to 7-5.
Northwest added insurance in the fifth, pushing the lead to 9-5.
Pearl River tied the game in the bottom of the sixth, scoring four runs as Donaldson led the way home on a second baseman error. Soon after, a Parker single arrived Ryan Burt (Columbus; New Hope) and Mercer followed with another base-laden march. The scoring ended with a sacrifice fly from Soper that tagged Parker.
Landen Payne (Ocean Springs; St. Martin) struck out the team in the top of the seventh to give Pearl River a chance to come out on top in the bottom of the frame.
The first two Wildcats went quietly in the inning, but Woodcock then moved into scoring position with a two-out double. Broadus then came up to the plate and hit the first pitch he saw into left field to bring Woodcock home for a 10-9 victory.
Sam Hill got the Wildcats started in Game 2 and pitched 2 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on five hits. He also struck out three batters.
Byrion Robinson (Brookhaven) pitched 1 2/3 innings and allowed two runs on two hits. He also withdrew four.
Payne took the victory in relief, pitching two innings and allowing no runs on two hits. He also struck out five batters.
Parker had two hits on the night, driving in a run. Woodcock also had two hits and scored three runs. He also ran running. Broadus and Perry had one hit each, each adding two RBIs apiece. Mercer finished with three RBIs. Donaldson also picked up an RBI.
FOLLOWING
The Wildcats are slated to hit the road Tuesday to face Jones College for a first pitch at 3 p.m., but the game could potentially be moved due to forecast bad weather.
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