SENATOBIA, Miss. – The No. 4 Pearl River softball team left Senatobia with a hard-fought split against the homestanding Northwest Rangers on Saturday. The Wildcats used a strong outing by starting pitcher Natalie Herrington (Petal) and timely hitting to knock off the Rangers 6-4 in game one. The Rangers offense came alive late in game two to secure a 6-5 nightcap victory.
“I thought we battled all day, and this conference is so tough,” Pearl River head coach Christie Meeks said. “I am so proud of our girls for what we have done throughout the regular season. Now it’s time to switch gears and get into postseason mode.”
GAME ONE
Lainee Bailey (Walker, La.) wasted no time getting the Pearl River (41-10 overall; 21-7 MACCC) offense on the board in game one against Northwest (26-18 overall; 13-15 MACCC). With two outs in the top of the first, Bailey sent the second pitch of the at-bat over the center field wall to give the Wildcats an early 1-0 lead.
Herrington helped pace the Wildcat defense early in game one, striking out four Ranger batters in the first two innings.
The Rangers grabbed the lead in the bottom of the third inning on a single to left field, 2-1.
The River wasted no time in the top of the fourth to take the lead. Bailey opened the inning with a single to left field. Bryn Daughtery (Vancleave) advanced Bailey to second with a sacrifice bunt to third base. Anna Kate Rounsaville (Gulfport) scored Bailey with a double to left field, 2-2. Rounsaville advanced to third on a Peyton Hoffmayer (Ocean Springs) single to left field, giving the Wildcats runners on the corners. Two batters later, Klair Cuevas (Poplarville; Hancock) singled to right field, scoring Rounsaville and Hoffmayer, 4-2.
Taking advantage of back-to-back Wildcat errors, the Rangers battled back in the bottom of the fifth, scoring two runs to tie the score, 4-4.
Pearl River put the game out of reach in the top of the sixth. Rounsaville opened the inning with a single to center field. Hoffmayer wasted no time in the next at-bat, sending a first-pitch single to center, scoring Rounsaville, 5-4. Caroline Lindsey (Gulfport) followed with another single to center, giving the Wildcats runners on first and second. Pearl River put runners on second and third with a double steal, setting up a fielder’s choice, resulting in Lindsey scoring the game’s final run, 6-4.
The Wildcat defense held strong in the bottom of the sixth and seventh to secure a 6-4 victory.
Bailey was 3-for-4 from the plate with one home run and two runs scored.
Rounsaville was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and one RBI. Hoffmayer batted 2-for-3 with one run scored and one RBI. Cuevas was 1-for-2 with three RBIs.
Herrington pitched a complete game, allowing one earned run on five hits and striking out nine Ranger batters.
GAME TWO
Pearl River’s offense was clicking on all cylinders to open game two. Natalie Toups (Brandon; Clinton Christian Academy) reached base following an error by the Ranger shortstop. After a Bailey walk, Daughtery sent the first pitch of her at-bat over the left field wall for a three-run home run, 3-0.
Bailey opened the game strong from the circle, striking out four batters in the first two innings.
The score remained at 3-0 until the bottom of the fifth when the Rangers plated two runs to cut the Wildcat lead down to one, 3-2.
The Rangers took the lead in the bottom of the sixth, taking advantage of a string of singles and a Wildcat error to lead 5-3 after six innings.
The Wildcats roared back in the top of the seventh to tie the game 5-5. Bailey opened the inning with a walk. Hoffmayer took the first pitch she saw deep over the left field wall for a two-run home run and tied the score.
Northwest closed out the game with a walk-off triple and the runner scoring on a Wildcat error, 6-5.
Daughtery was 2-for-4 with a three-run home run. Hoffmayer batted 2-for-4 with a two-run home run.
Bailey pitched 5 1/3 innings in the start, allowing four hits and two earned runs while striking out seven. Herrington pitched 1 1/3 innings in relief, allowing two earned runs on four hits.
NEXT UP
The Wildcats will play in the Region 23 Tournament, May 3-5. The site is still to be determined. Tournament details will be updated at PRCCAthletics.com.
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