DECATUR, Miss. — No. 7 Pearl River baseball hit a rough patch on Wednesday dropping both games of its doubleheader against East Central, 7-5 and 4-3.

“We are going to go to work. I need them to listen and be willing to change and adapt,” head coach Michael Avalon said. “That is part of success, as you’re successful you still have to change and adapt to get better.”

GAME 1 

East Central (7-5 overall; 4-0 MACCC) opened up the scoring in the first plating three runs on a passed ball and a two-run double. In the bottom half of the second, the Warriors increased their lead to 4-0.

Pearl River (10-5; 0-2) put its first run on the board in the top half of the third inning when Von Seibert (Mobile, Ala.; Daphne) blasted his NJCAA leading eighth home run of the season to cut the deficit to 4-1.

The Wildcats evened the score at 4-4 in the top of the fourth courtesy of a John Griffin Bell (Mobile, Ala.; Faith Academy) three-run homer over the center field wall.

The Warriors quickly countered the Wildcat runs in the bottom of the fourth with a two-run single to take the lead, 6-4.

Pearl River inched closer to East Central in the top of the sixth when Kasey Donaldson (Gulfport; West Harrison) deposited the second pitch of the inning over the right field wall to make the score 6-5.

The Warriors tacked on their final run in the eighth.

Donaldson and Seibert tied for the team lead in hits with two each. Bell led the team in RBIs with three. Turner Swistak (Hattiesburg; Oak Grove) started the game for the Wildcats, going four innings. Trace McNabb (Foxworth; West Marion) pitched four strong innings in relief, allowing one earned run on two hits while striking out four batters.

GAME 2 

East Central drew first blood in the bottom of the first on an infield single. Pearl River quickly responded in the top half of the second inning when Eric Newsom (Madison; Germantown) singled on a hard-hit ball up the middle and later came around to score on a passed ball to make the game even at 1-1.

East Central retook the lead in the second, 2-1.

In the top of the third, Newsom again hit one back up the middle, this time driving in Tate Parker (Gulfport; West Harrison) to tie the game, 2-2.

The Warriors went back in front in the sixth taking a 3-2 lead.

Down to their last three outs, Pearl River forced extra innings on a Seibert ground out that drove in Parker and tied the game, 3-3.

East Central went on to win the contest in the eighth, 4-3.

Sam Hill started the game for the Wildcats, throwing five innings and giving up two runs on four hits while striking out seven. Newsom and Parker tied for the lead in hits with two apiece. Dalton Cummins (Seminary) walked twice.

UP NEXT 

The Wildcats will return to the field on Thursday for a doubleheader at Northwest. First pitch is set for 2 p.m.