Lady Wildcats sweep Lady Eagles 6-5, 3-1

POPLARVILLE The 19th-ranked Pearl River Lady Wildcats swept Hinds in MACJC South Division doubleheader softball action here Saturday with 6-5 and 3-1 victories. PRCC, which was swept by Jones County 3-1 and 4-2 on Thursday, improved to 17-11 overall and 9-5 in division play with Saturday wins; while HCC dropped to 7-23 and 0-14. The River is now tied with JCJC at 9-5 in the division after the Lady Bobcats were swept by division-leading Mississippi Gulf Coast (12-1) 3-1 and 4-2 Saturday in Perkinston. East Central is 9-4 in league play after the second game of its March 8 twin bill with Gulf Coast was postponed due to rain. MGCCC won the first game of that doubleheader 5-2. In Saturday first game, Pearl River went up 2-0 in the bottom of the first when Brandy Rester of Poplarville High led off with a single. ETrareo Warren of Meridian High wound up a third base via a throwing error to first after her infield ground ball, scoring Rester. Heather Hester of Hancock County High drove in Warren with an single to right field an out later. Lady Eagle starter Courtney Carson then struck out two straight to end the inning. After Hinds went three up, three down in the second, the Lady Wildcats had runners at first and third when Paris Redd of Greene County High, who reached on a fielder choice, was picked off at third to end the inning. HCC scored its first run in the top of the third with one out when Erica Johns reached after being hit by a pitch, Olivia Tripp walked an out later, and Carson followed with an RBI single to left field. Mackenzie Pettit lined to short for the final out. Warren and Jordan Adams of DIberville High led off the bottom of the frame with singles, moved to second and third off a ground out by Brittney Gary of Slidell (La.) High and out later, but were left stranded when Alyssa Graeter of Poplarville High struck out to end the inning. After Hinds left a runner at second base in the fourth, Pearl River padded its lead in the bottom of the inning. Janessa Dedeaux of Poplarville High led off with a single to left, moved to second off Redd sacrifice bunt, then to third on a ground out by Taylor Seals of Picayune High. Rester ensuing single scored Dedeaux with Warren following with an inside-the-park home run to make it 5-1. Adams and Hester followed with base hits before Carson Ked Gary for the final out. After a scoreless fifth, the Lady Eagles tied it up in the top of the sixth. Carson led off with a single before Pettit reached second via a throwing error. Kayla Robinson sacrificed Carson home before Whitney Patterson smacked an RBI double to left to cut PRCC lead to two. After Skyla Meek popped out, Revin Cameron walked and Johns singled to load the bases. Jessica Killebrew then reached on an error, scoring two runs to knot it up at 5-5 before Pearl River starter Sheila Hall of Dutchtown (La.) High struck out Tripp for the final out. But the Lady Wildcats quickly regained the lead in the bottom of the frame when Rester cracked a one-out single and scored an out later off Adams single to right field. Hester followed with a single before Gary lined out to third to end the inning. Hall struck out lead off Carson in the top of the seventh before retiring Pettit and Robinson to end the game. Hall (9-5) got the win in going the distance, giving up six hits, striking out five, walking two, and hitting two batters; while Carson (2-8) got the loss. She also went the distance, giving up 14 hits and striking out four. Patterson led the Lady Eagles at the plate with a double and a single (one RBI), while Carson (one RBI) and Johns had two singles each. Killebrew had two RBIs, while Robinson had one. Rester paced PRCC 14-hit attack with four base hits (one RBI), while Adams (one RBI) and Hester (one RBI) had three singles each. Warren homered and singled (three RBIs), while Dedeaux had two singles. The River committed three errors in the game to Hinds one. In the nightcap game, the Lady Wildcats went up 1-0 in the bottom of the first when Rester and Warren led off with singles and Adams reached on a fielder choice. Hester sacrificed Warren home before Dedeaux flew out to center to end the inning. After scoreless second and third innings, Pearl River padded its lead in the bottom of the fourth when Gary belted a one-out double to left field and Lacy Freeman of Forrest County AHS followed with a two-run homer over the right field fence an out later to make it 3-0. Rester answered with a double to center, but Warren struck out to end the inning. The fifth inning was scoreless, but Hinds threatened in the top of the sixth loading the bases off back-to-back two-out singles by Tripp and Carson and a walk by Pettit, but Patterson grounded to the pitcher for the final out to squash the threat. Redd smacked a two-out double to left center field in the bottom of the frame and sped home off Freeman ensuing base hit, but was thrown out at home plate to end the inning. In the top of the seventh, the Lady Eagles scored their only run when Logan Dukes and Skyla Meek cracked back-to-back one-out singles, Johns walked, and Dukes scored on a passed ball. An out later, Tripp reached on an error to reload the corners, but Carson grounded to short to end the game. Starter Hester (7-6) got the win in going the distance, giving up a meager three hits, striking out two and walking three; while starter Morgan Aycock (2-8) got the loss. She also pitched the distance, giving up 10 hits and striking out three. Carson, Johns, and Tripp all singled for HCC, while Freeman paced PRCC 10-hit effort with a home run and two singles (two RBIs). Redd and Rester both doubled and singled, Gary doubled, and Hester (one RBI) and Warren both singled. Pearl River committed one error to Hinds none. The Lady Wildcats, the reigning MACJC state champions, swept the Lady Eagles 8-6 and 11-2 in a previous meeting played March 2 in Raymond. The River travels to Northwest Florida in Niceville, Fla., Tuesday for a 2 p.m. doubleheader before resuming division action Friday against Southwest Mississippi in Summit (3 p.m. doubleheader).

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