POPLARVILLE, Miss. — The No. 2 Pearl River baseball team provided the first big blow Wednesday evening against No. 3 LSU Eunice, but the Bengals took the game as the Wildcats fell 11-3.
“We needed to be a lot more disciplined than we were today,” head coach Michael Avalon said. “Their pitcher did a good job at making his pitches look like strikes. They had a good game plan, and they beat us. I’ve talked about how special this group is all year long. I think we will respond positively tomorrow. We have to learn from tonight and then forget about it.”
Pearl River returns to action Wednesday at noon to play either No. 1 East Central or No. 17 Meridian.
HOW IT HAPPENED
LSU Eunice (50-7 overall) turned a leadoff walk into a run in the top of the first inning, forcing Pearl River (48-9) to respond. The Wildcats did just that in the bottom half of the inning. Jeff Ince (Brandon; Jackson Prep) ripped a single into center, and Marshall Phillips (Hattiesburg; Sumrall) was hit by a pitch. That brought Caston Thompson (Jayess; Brookhaven Academy) up to the box. He battled into a 1-1 count before putting a charge into a ball to send it flying deep over the right field wall for a three-run homer, 3-1. His second homer in the last two games.
The Bengals punched back in the third, turning a hit batsman and three walks into a six-spot and a 7-3 lead over the Wildcats. The Bengal pitchers settled in with the new advantage, and the offense continued to add on throughout the game.
Baserunners were few and far between for the Wildcats down the stretch, and LSU Eunice eventually took the contest 11-3.
BY THE NUMBERS
JP Robertson (Madison; Germantown) threw 2 1/3 innings, giving up six runs on two hits and four walks. He struck out five. AJ Hansen (Mobile, Ala.; McGill-Toolen) tossed two innings, allowing two runs on three hits and a walk. He had one strikeout. Caleb Dyess (Carriere; Pearl River Central) threw 3 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on two hits and a walk. He struck out three. Eli Waters (Petal) pitched the final inning, working around three walks and striking out two.
Bryce Fowler (Madison; Germantown), Ince, Hollis Porter (Hurley; East Central), Thompson and Parker Ryan (Madison; Jackson Academy) were the only Wildcats to collect hits.
TICKETS
Tickets for the tournament are available NOW at PRCCAthletics.com/Tickets. Tickets are $12 each day. PRCC’s box office is CARD ONLY. Cash will NOT be accepted at the gate.
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
Pearl River’s tournament central page is active at PRCCAthletics.com/Region23. It will be the home for all tournament information, including livestreams, photos, brackets, directions, scores and more.
TUNE IN
The entirety of the tournament will be livestreamed at PRCCMedia.com/Gold. All Pearl River games can be heard at WRJW 1320-AM, 106.9 FM and WRJWRadio.com.
For the latest on Pearl River Community College athletics, follow us on Twitter (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).
