FULTON, Miss. — The Pearl River softball team fell to Hinds 5-1 Thursday afternoon in the second round of the MACCC Tournament in Fulton. The loss ended the Wildcats’ season after they dropped two games in as many days against stiff in-state competition. 

“We had a hard time today and yesterday capitalizing on our opportunities ” head coach Christie Meeks said. “I think that’s going to have to be something we work on towards next year because that makes all the difference in the world. With that being said it’s really hard to hang your head on these girls after the great job they have done this year.” 

The Wildcats (27-15) threatened to score first in the bottom of the third when a sacrifice bunt from Hannah Miller(Kokomo; West Marion) advanced runners to second and third but PRCC was unable to cash in to take the lead. 

Hinds (16-18) took the lead in the top of the fourth and took a 3-0 lead. 

Hinds added to its lead in the top of the fifth plating another two runs to make it 5-0. 

Miller finally got the Wildcats on the board in the bottom of the sixth with a solo shot to make it 5-1. 

The Wildcats drew back to back walks later in the inning but were unable to capitalize allowing Hinds to hold on for the win. 

Kaitlyn Passeau (Lucedale; George County) led the Wildcats in hits with three. 

A GREAT SEASON  

Even with the Wildcats’ season coming to an end there are a lot of positives that fans can take away from this years team. 

The Wildcats were one of the hottest offensive teams in the MACCC this season sporting a team batting average of .335 with an impressive 43 home runs. 

“Our offense won us a lot of games this season,” Meeks said. “Even though that didn’t happen today I’m proud of how our girls battled at the plate.” 

In addition to their stellar offense the Wildcats were nationally ranked multiple times this season.

One of the reasons is that the Wildcats found one of the best pitchers in the country with the impressive play of Hannah Embry (Vicksburg; Porters Chapel Academy).

Embry led the Wildcats on the mound this year with 13 wins and an ERA of 3.19 and also had an impressive 143 strikeouts on the season. 

THE BUY IN 

Meeks was quick to point out that a large part of the Wildcats’ success this season was the “buy in” from her sophomore class. 

“Every single one of those girls has left a great legacy here at Pearl River,” Meeks said. 

“Kaitlyn was such an offensive force for us this year at the plate. Abigail (Thexton) was a great leader this year and really stepped up her game. Sydney (Runnels) was a vocal leader on the team and was consistent hitter for us. Kambryn (Chassion) stepped up behind the plate was a defensive leader for us. Danielle (Lalonde) was a girl that bought into everything I taught our pitching staff. She learned a lot and embraced her role. I’m thankful every single one of those girls. Without them we don’t take these great strides that we have.”