Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Wildcats sweep Warriors
PRCC takes 6-5, 9-3 division wins over ECCC

    POPLARVILLE — Jake Hawkins blasted a three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning to propel Pearl River Community College to a 6-5 come-from-behind victory over East Central in the opening game of an MACJC South Division baseball doubleheader played here Tuesday in Wildcat Stadium.
    Hawkins, a sophomore infielder from Sumrall High, also smashed a two-run dinger in The River’s 9-3 nightcap win of the twin bill to improve to 15-16 overall and 6-4 in division play. The visiting Warriors, on the other hand, dropped to 22-8 and 4-4.
    Tuesday’s sweep puts the Wildcats in third place in the South Division behind 7-1 Hinds and 5-3 Jones County, while East Central is fourth, 5-5 Mississippi Gulf Coast fifth, 2-6 Copiah-Lincoln sixth, and 1-7 Southwest Mississippi seventh.
    In the first game, Pearl River jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Bryn Whitehead of Sumrall High reached after being hit by a pitch from Warrior starter Allen Johnson, moved to second on a wild pitch, and scored off a right field double by Southern Miss signee Ashley Graeter of Poplarville High. After stealing third, Graeter scored off a sacrifice by Matthew Magee of Petal High.
    East Central answered in the top of the second when lead off batter Quin Stokes walked and Ricardo Velez followed with a two-run over the center field fence. Graeter, the Wildcat starter, then walked Richie Long, who moved to second off Blake Lawson’s sacrifice bunt and on to third off a passed ball before scoring the go-ahead run off Ernie Triplett’s left field single.
    Donnie Tabb grounded out to third before Triplett was tagged out in a rundown between second and third for the final out.
    In the bottom of the frame, the Wildcats loaded the bases off two hit batters, a walk by Matt Linton of East Central High, but couldn’t push a run home.
    Jared Bond of Denham Springs (La.) High relieved Graeter in the top of the third and retired three straight, while Graeter led off the bottom of the frame with a strikeout, Magee was hit by a pitch, and Temple Harvey of Brandon High hit into a double play to end the inning.
    East Central went three up, three down to kick off the fourth, then Zach Farrar of Brandon High was belted by a pitch to lead off the bottom of the inning. Linton followed by outrunning a bunt for a base hit, which prompted the mound exit of Johnson for reliever Cal Cossich. Wildcat base runners moved to second and third off a sacrifice bunt by B.J. Smith of Sumrall High before Grae Orman of Clinton High singled to center to score Farrar pinch runner Ethan Ewoldt of Oak Grove High to tie it up at 3-3.
    Hawkins followed with a walk to load the bases, but Whitehead and Graeter both flew out to end the inning.
    In the top of the fifth, the Warriors left runners stranded at second and third when Triplett cracked a one-out single to left, stole second, moved to third when Andre Yates reached on an error after a Tabb strikeout. Yates stole second before Vince Kortbawi grounded out to third for the final out.
    After PRCC went three up, three down in the bottom of the inning, ECCC took the lead in the top of the sixth when lead off batter Charles Hill reached on an error, Stokes singled, and Long loaded the bases with a walk after Cossich struck out. That set the stage for Lawson’s two-run, up-the-middle single to make it 5-3 before Triplett hit into a double play.
    In the bottom of the inning, Linton led off with a single to left and Orman was hit by a pitch a strikeout later, which saw Tabb arrive in relief of Cossich. Hawkins followed with his game-winning blast. Whitehead then doubled, but Graeter fouled out and Magee struck out to end the inning.
    Bond (1-0) retired three straight in the seventh to ice is first collegiate mound victory. He gave up three hits, while striking out four and walking one.
    Tabb got the loss despite facing only four batters (two hits, one strikeout), while Johnson went three innings, giving up two hits, striking out three, walking one, and hitting five batters. Cossich went two-and-a-third, giving up two hits, striking out two, walking one, and hitting a batter.
    Each team finished with six hits.
    Triplett paced the Warriors with two singles (one RBI), while Velez homered (two RBIs) and Kortbawi, Lawson (two RBIs), and Stokes all had singles.
    For The River, Linton led the way with two base hits (one RBI), Hawkins homered (three RBIs), Graeter (one RBI) and Whitehead both doubled, and Orman singled (one RBI).
    Pearl River committed two errors in the game to East Central’s one defensive miscue.
    In the nightcap, the Wildcats’ scored solo runs in the second and third innings, then blew things open with a seven-run barrage in the fourth. The Warriors scored two in the sixth and one in the seventh.
    Starter Brett Blaise (3-5) out of Heritage Academy in Columbus got the win in going the distance, giving up four hits, striking out eight, and walking eight; while Warrior starter Triplett got the loss in his three-and-one-thirds innings on the mound, He struck out two and walked two before Tyler Dalton relieved in the fourth. Dalton had one base on balls.
    Long paced East Central at the plate with a double and a single, while Kortbawi and Velez had base hits.
    Hawkins paced the Wildcats’ 10-hit attack with a homer and a single (two RBIs), while Linton had two singles, Whitehead homered (one RBI), Orman doubled (three RBIs), and Graeter, Harvey, Magee, and Jarrod Smith of Forrest County AHS all had singles.
    The Wildcats travel to division rival Southwest Mississippi in Summit Friday for a 2 p.m. division doubleheader and are dormant until division foe Copiah-Lincoln visits Saturday, April 10, for a 1 p.m. twin bill.