Pearl River bombs Co-Lin in regular season finale

WESSON Pearl River Wildcats claimed a berth in one of this week four MACJC state playoff series in grand fashion here Saturday in Sullivan Stadium with a pair of lopsided 15-4 and 14-5 South Division victories over Copiah-Lincoln. PRCC, which improved to 27-18 overall and 13-11 in division play with the wins, banged out a combined 27 hits in the doubleheader. The River still remains unsure of its final post-season seeding as Hinds (9-13), which was eliminated from post-season contention with its 12-2, 10-1 losses to division champ Jones County (19-5) Saturday in Raymond, and Mississippi Gulf Coast (13-9) match up Monday in Perkinston for the division final doubleheader of the regular season. The outcome of that make up twin bill will dictate the final seedings. East Central is also 13-11 in division play. In Saturday first game in Wesson, Pearl River went up 1-0 in the top of the first inning when Chase Lewallen of Sumrall High smacked a one-out double and B.J. Smith, another Sumrall High product, drew a walk an out later. That set the stage for an RBI single by James Abraham, a Southeastern Louisiana transfer who prepped at St. Stanislaus in Bay St. Louis, before Derek Sanders of Simpson Academy grounded to second for the final out. The next one-and-a-half frames went scoreless before PRCC padded its lead to 5-0 in the bottom of the third. Lewallen drew a lead off walk with Matthew Magee of Petal High following with a two-run homer. After Smith reached on an error, Abraham singled to left and Sanders reached on a fielder choice. Grae Ormon of Clinton High then laid down a sacrifice bunt for the fourth run before Chase Toussaint of Petal High struck out. A pick off throwing error to second base scored a fifth run for the Wildcats. After Aaron Lee of Pearl River Central High walked, Wolfpack starter Brandon Jones Kd Jordan Williams out of Christian County High in Hopkinsville, Ky., for the final out. After Wildcat starter Buck Bernard, a Southeastern Louisiana signee who prepped at Petal High, retired the side in the bottom of the frame; PRCC added two more runs in the top of the fourth. Lewallen led off with a single, Magee drew a base on balls, and Smith singled to left to load the bases. That prompted the mound exit of Jones for Ben McDowell, who immediately gave up an RBI sacrifice to center to Abraham before Sanders ensuing base hit scored Magee to make ti 7-0. Ormon then hit into a double play for the final outs. Co-Lin managed to get on the scoreboard in the bottom of the inning when Bud Britt cracked a one-out single and Willie Buckley singled to right an out later. Zac Ferguson and Bryce Guess followed with back-to-back RBI singles to make it 7-2 before Bernard struck out Ben Boone to end the inning. In the top of the fifth, Lee lined a one-out single to left field then Williams reached on an error and Lee moved to third. Lewallen sac bunt scored Lee to make it 8-2 before Magee flew to center for the final out. The Wolfpack managed lead off singles by Steven Captistran and Dehendret Collins in the bottom of the frame, but Conner Oakes hit into a double play before Bernard struck out Britt to end the inning. After a scoreless sixth, Pearl River bombarded Co-Lin with seven runs in the top of the seventh. Lead off Toussaint reached when he was belted by a pitch. After stealing second, Toussaint scored off Lee up-the-middle single before Williams doubled to left. Lewallen then reached on an error, scoring Lee, while Magee followed with a two-run triple to make it 12-2. Smith sacrifice scored Magee before Abraham flew out to center. Pinch hitter Jose Sola of Aguadilla, PR, then walked and scored off Ormon double to left field. After Toussaint reached on an error, McDowell exited the mound for Trip Jolly who struck out Lee the only batter he faced. In the bottom of the inning, Seth Avants led off with a single and scored two outs later from second off Edmund Cheatham single to center. Jarvis Wilbert followed with a base hit and Cheatham scored from second off Buckley single before Ferguson flew out to right to end the game. Bernard (6-3) got the win in going the distance, giving up 13 hits, striking out six, and walking one; while Jones (1-6) got the loss. He pitched three innings, giving up seven hits, striking out three, and walking three; while McDowell gave up six hits, walked one, and hit two batters in his three-and-two-thirds innings of relief. Jolly struck out the only batter he faced in the seventh. Magee paced the Wildcats 13-hit attack with a home run and a triple (four RBIs), while Lewallen (two RBIs) and Ormon (two RBIs) both doubled and singled. Abraham (two RBIs) and Lee (one RBI) had two base hits each, while Williams doubled and Sanders (one RBI) and Smith (one RBI) both singled. Toussaint had an RBI. Buckley (one RBI), Ferguson (one RBI), and Guess (one RBI) led the Wolfpack with two singles a piece; while Avants, Britt, Kolby Byrd, Captistran, Cheatham (one RBI), Collins, and Wilbert all had base hits. Co-Lin committed a whopping eight errors in the game to Pearl River none. In the nightcap game, the Wildcats blew it open with four runs in the top of the first. Lewallen cracked a one-out single, Magee walked, and Smith followed with an RBI single. After the base runners moved to second and third, Abraham walked to load the bases. CLCC starter Ryan Kennedy then walked two straight to push in two runs before striking out Sola. Pearl River scored its fourth run off a passed ball before Lee grounded to third for the final out. Devon Whitbey relieved Kennedy to kick off the second and PRCC padded its lead to 5-0 in the inning when lead off Williams reached on an error, stole second, and scored off Magee ground out. Smith then singled to right before Abraham popped out for the final out. The next two innings went scoreless, but Co-Lin finally got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth. Britt drew a lead off walk and Byrd followed with a two-run homer of the right center field wall. After Buckley popped out to second, Ferguson singled and Guess reached on a fielder choice, but both runners wound up safe via the only error the Wildcats would commit in the game. Captistran ensuing base hit loaded the bases, while Boone followed with an RBI single to make it 5-3. PRCC starter Robert Marzoni of Purvis High then struck out Jesse Shows before Oakes flew out to left to end the inning. In the top of the fifth, lead off Lewallen singled and Magee followed with an RBI double and Whitbey was relieved by Tyler Copeland at that point. Smith then reached and Magee scored off Abraham single with Ormon outrunning a bunt for a base hit to load the bases. Toussaint followed with an RBI single and Sola sacrificed in a ninth run before Lee struck out. Williams and Lewallen saw back-to-back base on balls to push in a 10th run before Copeland Kd Magee for the final out. Buckley smashed a two-out solo homer in the bottom of the frame to make it 10-4. Raymond Winter relieved Copeland to start the sixth gave up a lead off single to Smith, while Marzoni struck out the side in the bottom of the inning. T.J. Floyd relieved Winter to start the seventh and he gave up back-to-back lead off singles to Sola and Lee with Williams following with a two-run triple to make it 12-4. Williams scored off Lewallen ground out to short before Magee walked, Smith was belted by a pitch, and Abraham walked to load the bases. Ormon then reached on a fielder choice before Toussaint single to center scored the Wildcats final run. Sola flew to center for the final out. In the bottom of the frame, Oakes, Britt, and Byrd cracked three straight one-out singles to push in the Wolfpack final run. Marzoni (7-3) got the win in going the distance, giving up eight hits, striking out nine, walking one, and hitting a batter; while Kennedy (4-4) got the loss in his one inning on the mound. He gave up two hits, struck out two, and walked four; while Whitbey pitched three innings, giving up a hit and striking out one. Copeland pitched one inning, giving up six hits and striking out one; while Winder gave up a hit in the sixth and Floyd gave up four hits in the seventh, walking two and hitting a batter. Smith paced PRCC 14-hit effort with four singles (one RBI), while Lewallen (one RBI) and Toussaint (three RBIs) had two base hits each. Williams tripled (two RBIs), Magee doubled (two RBIs), and Abraham (one RBI), Lee, Ormon (one RBI), and Sola (one RBI) all singled. Byrd led Co-Lin at the plate with a homer runs and a single (three RBIs), while Buckley homered (one RBI) and Boone (one RBI), Britt, Captistran, Ferguson, and Oakes all had base hits. CLCC, which ended its season with the losses at 20-25 overall and 8-16 in division play, committed three errors in the game to PRCC one. The Wildcats and Wolfpack split in a previous doubleheader played April 5 in Poplarville. Pearl River took a 10-0 shutout in five innings in the first game, while Co-Lin was an 8-2 winner in the nightcap game.