SCOOBA, Miss. — The No. 3 Pearl River baseball team put on a clinic at the plate in Saturday’s doubleheader sweep at East Mississippi winning game one 13-4 and taking the nightcap 16-2.

“I don’t care how long of a day it is. If you play two games and get two wins, we will stay out here all night,” said coach Michael Avalon. “That was the goal of today and we did that.”

GAME ONE 

Pearl River (19-5 overall; 9-3 MACCC) and East Mississippi (9-9; 2-8) both went quietly in the first three innings of the contest.

The game was scoreless no more after Eric Newsom (Madison; Germantown) stepped into the box and lined a ball over the right field wall to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead.

Pearl River broke the game open in the fifth inning plating five runs to make the score 6-0. Tate Parker (Gulfport; West Harrison) doubled to left field driving in Graham Crawford (Sumrall). Taylor Woodcock (Pass Christian; West Harrison) reached on an error driving in a run in the process. Newsom blasted a two-run home run over the right field wall for his second of the day. John Griffin Bell (Mobile, Ala.; Faith Academy) plated the final run of the big inning with an RBI single driving in Dalton Cummins (Seminary).

The Lions cut the lead to just two runs at 6-4 in the sixth inning by way of a RBI single and a three-run home run.

Pearl River added two more to the run column in the seventh to make the score 8-4. D.K. Donaldson (Gulfport; West Harrison) singled to plate a run and was then driven in by a Cummins single.

PRCC pushed two more runs across the plate in the eighth courtesy of the Donaldson brothers. Kasey Donaldson (Gulfport; West Harrison) drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Two batters later D.K. Donaldson lined a ball into left field to drive in a run making the score 10-4.

The Wildcats built on their lead one last time in the top half of the ninth. A two-run single by Parker followed by an RBI single by Kasey Donaldson extended the lead to 13-4.

Trace McNabb (Foxworth; West Marion) worked around a walk and a single in the ninth to retire to the Lions and end the contest.

Newsom led the team in hits with four.

“The ball was looking like a beach ball today,” said Newsom. “I got some pitches to drive and I got the job done.”

Parker, D.K. Donaldson and Cummins each had two hits.

Parker and Newsom led the team in RBIs with three.

Jacob Scherer (Mandeville, La.; St. Paul’s) pitched five innings allowing four runs on four hits while striking out six.

McNabb threw 3 1/3 innings allowing just one hit and striking out three.

“I got a lot of early contact and soft contact,” said McNabb. “When I did get into counts, I had my slider working tonight”

GAME TWO 

PRCC jumped on EMCC early in the nightcap taking a 4-0 lead in the first inning. Newsom continued his hot day at the plate driving in three on a single. Matt Mercer (Petal) singled him home on the first pitch of his plate appearance.

An inning later, Parker hit a three-run shot over the left field wall to increase the Pearl River lead to 7-0.

Pearl River got back to scoring in the fourth inning. Kasey Donaldson blasted a two-run moonshot over the right field wall. D.K. Donaldson came around to score on a double steal to make the Wildcat lead 10-0.

The Lions scratched two runs in the bottom half of the fourth after a fielder’s choice and an error to cut the deficit to eight at 10-2.

Austen Izzio (Carriere; Pearl River Central) got in on the longball action in the sixth inning hitting his first home run of the season to increase the Wildcat lead to 11-2.

The Wildcats pushed across five more runs in the seventh. Two-run singles by D.K. Donaldson and Izzio followed by a single by Cummins broadened the PRCC lead to 14 runs at 16-2

Crawford, D.K. Donaldson, Izzio and Cummins tied for the team lead in hits with two. Izzio and Parker each drove in three runs. Bell walked twice.

Landon Harper (Lauderdale; Northeast Lauderdale) made his first start of the year on the mound throwing four innings, allowing one hit and one earned run and striking out eight.

Reid Reynolds (Heidelberg; Northeast Lauderdale) had a perfect relief appearance pitching one inning allowing no hits and striking out one.

Dawson Strong (Bay St. Louis; St. Stanislaus) mimicked Reynolds striking out one in a perfect inning of work.

Dakota Lee (Purvis) pitched the final inning for the Wildcats striking out the side on just ten pitches.

UP NEXT

The Wildcats will be back in action on Wednesday traveling to Hinds for a doubleheader. The games will begin at 3 p.m.