River splits at Southwest

SUMMIT Pearl River Wildcats split with Southwest Mississippi in MACJC South Division baseball action here Tuesday, taking a 4-2 victory in the first game of the doubleheader before succumbing to a bottom-of-the-seventh rally to fall 3-2 to the host Bears. PRCC is now 15-7 overall and 2-2 in division play, while SMCC is 12-6 and 3-3. In the first game, Southwest scored solo run in the bottom of the first, second, and fourth innings to take a 3-0 lead before Matthew Magee of Petal High blasted a three-run homer in the top of the fifth to knot things up. The Wildcats scored a solo run in the top of the sixth to take a one-run lead and held on for the victory. Taylor Byrd (2-1) of Petal High got the win, giving up two runs (both earned) and four hits, while striking out five, and walking four. Trey Setzer (3-2) got the loss, giving up four runs (all earned) and four hits, while striking out five and walking two. PRCC finished the game with five hits, while SMCC had four. Both teams committed one error in the game. In the nightcap, the first four innings were scoreless; while both teams scored solo runs in the fifth. Pearl River took a 2-1 lead in the top of the seventh only to see Southwest rally for two in the bottom of the frame to ice the victory. Zach Rowell (2-1) got the win, giving up no hits and striking out one; while Hunter Curtis (0-1) of Petal High got the loss. He also held the Bears hitless, striking out one and walking two. PRCC finished with six hits to SMCC three and committed two errors to the Bears one. Pearl River hosts division rival East Central Saturday in a 1 p.m. doubleheader in Poplarville before division arch-rival Mississippi Gulf Coast visits Wildcat Stadium Wednesday, March 20, for a 4 p.m. twin bill.