Monday, March 01, 2010

Wildcats split with Commodores
PRCC records impressive 9-5 come-from-behind win before falling 12-2 in five to drop to 3-10 overall

    POPLARVILLE — Pearl River’s Wildcats split a pair of baseball match ups here Saturday with Gulf Coast-Panama City (Fla.), taking an impressive 9-5 come-from-behind victory in the first game of the doubleheader before getting whalloped 12-2 by the Commodores in the nightcap.
    PRCC dropped to 3-10 overall with the split, while GC-PC improved to 13-5.
    In the first game, the Commodores went up 1-0 in the top of the second when lead off batters Jake Roberts and Casey Rasmus were walked by Wildcat starter Taylor Martin out of St. Michael’s in Baton Rouge, La., then moved to second and third off Mike Love’s sacrifice bunt. Roberts scored despite Nick Ratajczak hitting into a double play (short to first, first to third).
    In the top of the third, GC-PC padded its lead with a four-run barrage. Cam Greathouse and Bryce Lane got back-to-back one-out walks before Martin struck out Tyler Reimer. Cameron Graves followed with a two-run single to make it 3-0 before Roberts smashed a two-run homer out of right centerfield to make it 5-0. Martin struck out Casey Rasmus to end the scoring onslaught.
    That score remained intact until the bottom of the fifth when the Wildcats started their comeback. Zach Farrar of Brandon High led off with a single to left center, then Matt Linton of East Central High walked before Cody Bielstein of Purvis High singled to load the bases. Grae Orman of Clinton High pushed home the first run when he reached on a fielder’s choice, then B.J. Smith of Sumrall High walked to reload the bases.
    Bryn Whitehead of Sumrall High smacked an RBI single before Southern Mississippi signee Ashley Graeter of Poplarville High reached on an error driving in the Wildcats’ fourth run. PRCC tied it up at 5-5 with pinch runner Jake Hawkins of Sumrall High scored on a passed ball before Matthew Magee of Petal High flew out to right and Temple Harvey of Brandon High struck out to end the inning.
    Pearl River’s four runs in the bottom of the sixth iced the win. Farrar led off with an up-the-middle single, which prompted the departure of Commodore starter Brady Frey for Jeremy Boyte. Linton’s sacrifice bunt moved Farrar to second before Bielstein and Hawkins walked to load the bases, setting the stage for B.J. Smith’s RBI single to right, Whitehead’s RBI double to center, and Graeter’s RBI sacrifice to make it 9-5.
    GC-PC managed a single in the top of the seventh.
    Reliever Josh Hubble (1-0) of Forrest County AHS got the win after taking over the mound for Martin in the fifth. Martin struck out two, walked seven, and hit a batter in his four innings on the mound, while Hubble recorded one strikeout.
    Frey got the loss in his four innings of action, striking out five, walking three, and hitting a batter; while Boyte recorded two walks in relief.
    Gulf Coast-Panama City finished with seven hits, led by Graves two singles (two RBIs), Roberts’ two-run homer, and singles by Bryce Lane, Cyle Rasmus, Ratajczak (one RBI), and Reimer.
    Whitehead paced PRCC’s nine-hit attack with a double and three singles (two RBIs), while Farrar had two base hits and Bielstein, Graeter (three RBIs), and B.J. Smith (two RBIs) all singled.
    The Wildcats committed two errors in the game to the Commodores one.
    In the nightcap, GC-PC went up 1-0 in the top of the first, but Pearl River bounced back with two in the bottom of the frame before the Commodores bombarded the Wildcats with 10 runs in the top of the second. Gulf Coast-Panama city added its final run in the fourth.
    Starter Lane got the win in going the five-inning distance, striking out three and walking one; while Wildcat starter Brett Blaise (0-4) out of Heritage Academy in Columbus got the loss in his two innings on the mound. Blaise struck out two, walked two, and hit a batter before Buck Bernard of Petal High arrived in relief, facing three batters. Sean Kelly of Pearl River Central relieved Bernard and pitched the final two-and-one-thirds innings. He recorded three strikeouts.
    Jeremy Boyte and Reimer led GC-PC’s 11-hit effort with each belting homers, doubles, and singles, and accounting for three RBIs each; while Mike Love tripled and doubled (two RBIs), Lane had two singles, and Greathouse singled.
    Magee homered and doubled (two RBIs) to lead PRCC’s six hit attack, while Linton had two base hits, Graeter doubled, and Whitehead singled.
    GC-PC played error free, while Pearl River committed one defensive miscue in the game.
    Saturday’s twin bill with Gulf Coast-Panama City kicked off a four-game home stand for PRCC, which resumes action against Bevill State (Ala.) Tuesday, L.B. Wallace (Ala.) Saturday, March 6; and Hibbing (Minn.) Sunday, March 7. All are 2 p.m. doubleheaders.