RAYMOND, Miss. —The No. 2 Pearl River baseball team turned in a complete performance in Monday’s sweep at No. 20 Hinds winning game one 13-4 and taking the nightcap 13-1.

“It was a total team effort,” said coach Michael Avalon. “That’s a quality team, and it was great for us to come out here and play well like we did. It’s a tough place to play.”

GAME ONE

Pearl River (23-5 overall; 13-3 MACCC) and Hinds (12-12; 10-8) were unable to put any runs on the board over the first two innings of the contest.

The Wildcats opened the scoring in the third inning when a Tate Parker (Gulfport; West Harrison) sacrifice fly plated Dalton Cummins (Seminary) to give them an early 1-0 advantage.

The Eagles quickly countered the Wildcat run in their half of the third on a two-run home run to take the lead 2-1.

Pearl River did not let Hinds have the lead for long, plating three runs in the fifth to go ahead 4-2.

D.K. Donaldson (Gulfport; West Harrison) scored on a passed ball. Nick Skaggs (Biloxi) followed that up with an RBI double to drive in the second run, and Graham Crawford (Sumrall) drove in the last run of the inning with an infield single.

PRCC added another to its lead in the fifth. Matt Mercer (Petal) was caught in a rundown but avoided being tagged out long enough for D.K. Donaldson to score from third to make the score 5-2.

The long ball helped Pearl River build on the lead in the sixth. Cummins sent a ball flying over the left field wall for a solo shot. A few batters later, Parker showed off his opposite-field power by depositing a two-run blast over the right field wall making the score 8-2.

Hinds cut the deficit to four runs at 8-4 in the bottom of the inning, plating two runs on a passed ball and an RBI single.

PRCC added another run to its lead in the seventh, putting five more runs on the board. Cummins singled for the fourth time in the game, driving in his second run in the process. Skaggs became the 12^th Wildcat to hit a home run this season, belting a grand slam over the left field wall to extend the lead to 13-4.

Cummins led the team in hits with four.

Skaggs led the team in RBIs with five, and Parker was second with three. Crawford walked twice.

Sam Hill (Soso; West Jones) earned the win on the mound throwing 4 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out three. Trace McNabb (Foxworth; West Marion) pitched 1 1/3 inning allowing two runs. Eric Newsom (Madison; Germantown) pitched the last inning of the contest, walking one and striking out one.

GAME TWO 

After going quietly in the first inning, Pearl River jumped on Hinds in the second inning, plating five runs. Back-to-back singles by Austen Izzio (Carriere; Pearl River Central) and John Griffin Bell (Mobile; Faith Academy) put the first three in the run column.  Skaggs lined a two-run homer, his second of the doubleheader, over the center field wall to make the score 5-0.

The Wildcats added two insurance runs in the third courtesy of an RBI double by Izzio and a Bell sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 7-0.

An RBI single by HCC made the score 7-1 in the bottom of the third.

D.K. Donaldson joined the home run party in the fifth, launching the first of his career over the left field wall to extend the lead, 8-1.

An inning later, PRCC added two more to their total to go ahead 10-1. D.K. Donaldson grounded into a fielder’s choice to bring in the first run. Matt Mercer plated Kasey Donaldson (Gulfport; West Harrison) with a sacrifice fly for the second run.

The Wildcats scored the last three runs of the game in the seventh. Parker lined a ball to right field and slid into third with a two-run triple. Banks Hyde (Columbus; Heritage Academy) brought him home with a groundout making the score 13-1.

Parker and Izzio tied for the team lead in hits with three. Izzio led with three RBIs.

Cummins walked three times. He reached base in every at-bat of the doubleheader.

“It was a pretty fun day, to say the least,” said Cummins. “It’s been a while since I’ve had one of those days, so to come out here and swing it well, it was pretty good.”

Landon Gartman (Bogue Chitto; Enterprise) earned the win for the Wildcats, throwing five innings while allowing one run and four hits. He struck out four.

Dakota Lee (Purvis) pitched two solid innings in relief, allowing just one hit while striking out two.

UP NEXT 

The Wildcats will return to the action next Tuesday as they host Meridian for a doubleheader. The games will begin at 3 P.M.