Magic sweeps Wildcats

POPLARVILLE Pearl River Wildcats saw their six-game winning streak snapped here Tuesday, as St. Louis-Merrimac Magic pulled off a 9-3, 6-5 doubleheader sweep. PRCC dropped to 12-4 overall, while SLM, based in St. Louis, Mo., improved to 8-2. In the first game, the Magic went up 4-0 in the top of the first after Wildcat starter Taylor Byrd of Petal High hit two of the first three batters he faced with pitches and Ben Smith followed with a one-out, three-run homer. SLM then loaded the bases and James Sharp reached on a fielder choice to push home a fourth run. Pearl River answered in the bottom of the frame with a solo run when Aaron Lee of Pearl River Central High drew a one-out walk and scored a double by Matthew Magee of Petal High. After a scoreless second inning, the Magic padded its lead in the top of the third when Josh Gibson reached on an error, Joe Haas walked an out later, and Sharp followed with an RBI single to left field to make it 5-1. After walking Philip Landwehr to load the bases, Byrd was relieved by Josh Hubbell of Forrest County AHS who immediately saw William Rowe hit into a double play to squash the threat. In the bottom of the third, Lee drew a one-out walk, stole second, and scored an out later off a double to left field by B.J. Smith of Sumrall High to make it 5-2 before Casey Comfort of Oak Grove High struck out to end the inning. Hubbell retired the side in the fourth, while Leyton Lott of Seminary High belted a one-out homer in the bottom of the frame to cut SLM lead to two, but the Magic padded its score to 7-3 in the top of the fifth. SLM loaded the bases with two outs and Rowe responded with a two-run single to left center before Landwehr was tagged out in a rundown between second and third. In the top of the sixth, lead off Larry Schimsa reached on an error and Ben Smith followed with a double to the left field fence. After Hubbell struck out Gibson, Schimsa scored off Koby Chadick single to left and Ben Smith scored off Haas sacrifice to make it 9-3 before Sharp grounded to second for the final out. Comfort led off the bottom of the inning with a double to left center field, but was left stranded at third. Robert Marzoni of Purvis High relieved Hubbell in the seventh and struck out two of the three batters he faced, while the Wildcats put two on in the bottom of the inning before B.J. Smith ground out to second ended the game. Starter Mike Krumm got the win in his four innings on the mound, giving up three hits, striking out four, and walking three; while Andrew Reidt took over in the fifth. He gave up two hits and recorded a strikeout. Byrd (1-1) got the loss in his two-and-one-thirds innings on the mound. He gave up four hits, struck out one, walked three, and hit three batters before Hubbell arrived, giving up four hits and striking out five and hitting a batter. Marzoni struck out two in the seventh. Ben Smith led the Magic eight-hit effort with a homer and a double (three RBIs), while Haas (one RBI), Vince Howard, Landwehr, Zach Mesey (one RBI), Rowe (two RBIs), Sharp (two RBIs), and Schimsa all had singles. PRCC finished with five hits, led by Magee double and single (one RBI). Lott homered (one RBI), Comfort doubled, and B.J. Smith singled (one RBI). The Wildcats committed four errors in the game to St. Louis-Merrimac one. In the nightcap, Pearl River burst to a 4-0 lead after three innings, but saw the visitors rally for the victory. The Wildcats went up 2-0 in the bottom of the first when Chase Toussaint of Poplarville High and Grae Ormon of Clinton High led off with singles, then Magee outran a bunt to load the bases and a run scored after B.J. Smith was belted by a pitch. James Abraham, a Southeastern Louisiana transfer who prepped at St. Stanislaus in Bay St. Louis, then hit into a double play, scoring Ormon before Dakota Baker of Purvis High flew out to center to end the inning. After SLM left a runner stranded at second in the top of the second, Pearl River added a solo run in the bottom of the inning when Chase Lewallen of Sumrall High led off with a single and scored off two errant pick off throws to make it 3-0. The Magic went three up, three down in the third; while Magee led off the bottom of the frame with a solo homer out of left field to make it 4-0. After a scoreless fourth, St. Louis-Merrimac started playing catch up in the fifth. Wildcat starter Blake Juneau of Marksville (La.) High put two runners on with a lead off single and a hit batter. The pair moved to second and third off a passed ball and both scored off Rowe single to left to make it 4-2 before Juneau Kd Nate Young for the final out. Pearl River loaded the bases in the bottom of fifth when Ormon led off with a double to the left field fence, Magee singled, and Baker reached on an error two outs later before Lewallen struck out to end the inning. In the sixth, the Magic loaded the bases with no outs and tied it up off Chadick two-run double to the right center field wall. That prompted the mound exit of Juneau for Southeastern Louisiana signee Buck Bernard of Petal High. Bernard struck out the first batter he faced before giving up an RBI single to Sharp to put SLM up 5-4. Chadick was nailed at home when Landwehr reached on a fielder choice before the Magic scored its final run on a passed ball. Out goes Bernard for Jared Bond of Denham Springs (La.) High who saw Young foul out to end the go-ahead rally. SLM starter Mesey struck out the side in the bottom of the frame, then the Magic went three up, three down in the top of the seventh. Pearl River showed resiliency in the bottom of the inning when Magee drew a one-out walk and Abraham walked a strike out later. Baker smashed a double down the third-base line to score Magee and Abraham was thrown out at home for the game-ending out. Mesey got the win in going the distance, giving up 10 hits, striking out seven, and walking two; while Juneau (1-1) got the loss. He went five-and-one-thirds innings, giving up nine hits, striking out four, and hitting a batter; while Bernard gave up a hit, struck out one, and walked one in his one-third of an inning. Bond struck out one. Ben Smith led SLM 10-hit attack with three singles, while Chadick doubled and singled (two RBIs), Schimsa had two base hits, and Gibson, Rowe (two RBIs), and Sharp (one RBI) all had singles. PRCC also finished with 10 hits, led by Magee homer and two singles (one RBI), while Ormon doubled and singled, Baker doubled (one RBI), and Abraham (one RBI), Lee, Lewallen, and Toussaint all had base hits. Pearl River committed three errors in the game to St. Louis-Merrimac two. The Wildcats return to action Thursday when they play host to St. Charles (Mo.) in a 4 p.m. doubleheader, then open MACJC South Division play Saturday against arch-rival Jones County in a 1 p.m. doubleheader in Ellisville.

Each community college president is asked to bring two (2) wrapped door prizes, minimum value of $50 each. We will have a station set up at the conference for you to drop off the door prizes.

Each community college is asked to provide name tags for their Board members, administration, and staff attending the conference.