Bulldogs need to stack wins down the stretch

PERKINSTON — Mississippi Gulf Coast faces a big MACCC softball showdown Wednesday when No. 13 Hinds visits.

The doubleheader starts at 3 p.m. at Ross-Smith Field. Buy your tickets ahead of time to save money. It costs $7 for adults or $5 for youth online, or $10 and $7 at the gate. Tickets are available at http://mgcccbulldogs.com/tickets, and the game will be streamed at https://mgcccbulldogs.com/watch.

The Bulldogs are one spot out of the final place to avoid the one-game play-in round in the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament, and Hinds is the last team above them in the standings they’ll play this season.

Gulf Coast has three regular-season doubleheaders left after Wednesday. The Bulldogs also may need to complete a game against No. 2 Copiah-Lincoln after the final regular-season game if it affects seeding.

Records

• MGCCC: 31-15/13-6 MACCC, 6^th place in conference
• Hinds: 27-11/16-4 MACCC, T-3^rd place in conference

Last Time Out

• Last Tuesday, Gulf Coast split against then-No. 5 Pearl River in Poplarville, bouncing back from a 9-7 loss in Game 1 to win 14-11.
• On Saturday, Hinds beat Mississippi Delta 9-1 and 9-4 in Raymond.

Previous Meeting

On April 18, 2023, Gulf Coast swept Hinds at Raymond, winning 5-4 and 6-4.

Notes

• Gulf Coast is fourth in the NJCAA being hit by 41 pitches. The Bulldogs are fifth in walks (161) and 10^th with 88 doubles.
• Gulf Coast leads the MACCC with 310 runs scored and 151 walks. The Bulldogs are second with 380 hits, 269 RBI and 41 HBP. They’re third in doubles (88) and triples (15).
• Aleah Beaugez (Fr., D’Iberville/D’Iberville) is second in the country with 14 HBP, which leads the MACCC. She’s eighth in the conference with 13 doubles.
• Jett Harrell (So., Clarksdale/Lee Academy) is ninth in the MACCC with 11 wins and 10^th in complete games (11) and shutouts (2). At the plate, she’s tied for sixth with three triples and 43 RBI.
• Jorja Roberson (So., Branyan/East Union) is third in the conference with 47 runs. She’s fourth in RBI (44) and walks (22), sixth in triples (3), home runs (10) and slugging (.482), and seventh in on-base percentage (.482).
• Kamryn LaFosse (So., Lake Charles, La./Sam Houston) is fifth in the conference with 21 walks.
• Natalie Shaw (So., Olive Branch/Marshall Academy) is 10^th in the MACCC with a .403 average.
• AB Parrish (Fr., Corinth/Alcorn Central) is fifth in the conference with 21 walks.
• Olivia Falcon (Fr., St. Amant, La./St. Amant) is second in the conference with four shutouts. She’s third with 19 starts and ninth with 11 wins.

Three Ahead

• Saturday, April 20: vs. Northwest Mississippi, Perkinston, noon doubleheader, Cancer Awareness Day
• Wednesday, April 24: at Meridian, Meridian, 2 p.m. doubleheader
• Saturday, April 27: at Northeast Mississippi, Booneville, 2 p.m. doubleheader

For more information on MGCCC’s 11 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.