PHENIX CITY, Ala. —The No. 1 Pearl River baseball team threw everything but the kitchen sink in Saturday’s doubleheader against NJCAA DI foe Chattahoochee Valley. The Wildcats sent out 10 pitchers to sweep the Pirates 7-3 and 13-0 in a tune-up series ahead of the Region 23 Tournament.

“I’m thankful that coach (Hunter) Vick agreed for us to play on their bye week,” head coach Michael Avalon said. “Both teams pre-scripted lineups and rotation, so both teams were able to get some guys in situations to make sure that we were ready for the playoffs. Fortunately, we played well today and came out on top.”

“One of our strengths has been our depth on the mound,” Avalon said. “Hopefully we were able to get some guys some confidence today heading into the playoffs. We will go as far as our arms will take us. We had several guys who threw well today.”

GAME ONE

Pearl River (36-10 overall) plated a run in the first inning of play. John Griffin Bell (Mobile, Ala.; Faith Academy) opened the contest with a walk. Gabe Broadus (Wilmer, Ala.; Faith Academy) then doubled to put them both into scoring position. Tate Parker (Gulfport; West Harrison) drove a run in with a sacrifice fly.

The Wildcats doubled the advantage 2-0 in the second inning with a sacrifice fly off the bat of Logan Walters (Petal).

PRCC pushed across another run in the fourth inning when Bell crossed the plate on a passed ball to extend the lead, but Chattahoochee Valley (28-23) matched it in the bottom half of the inning with an RBI single to make it a 3-1 ball game.

Pearl River pushed across three runs in the fifth inning to take a 6-1 lead. Ian Montz (Lafayette, La.; Acadiana) led off the inning with a walk. D.K. Donaldson (Gulfport; West Harrison) moved him into scoring position with a ground out. After Matt Mercer (Richton; Petal) was hit by a pitch, Preston Soper (Madison; Germantown) drove in Montz with a double. Taylor Woodcock (Pass Christian; West Harrison) pushed across the next two runs with a single into centerfield.

CVCC cut the deficit to 6-3 in their frame.

Montz capped the scoring in the eighth inning, driving in Alex Perry (McComb; North Pike) with a double. The 7-3 lead was all the Wildcats needed as they claimed the first game of the day.

Pearl River threw five different pitchers in the contest. Turner Swistak (Hattiesburg; Oak Grove) made the start, going two innings and allowing no runs, no hits, and no walks while striking out two. Dakota Lee (Purvis) also threw a pair of innings. He allowed one run on three hits and stuck out one batter. Harper Jordan (Hattiesburg; Presbyterian Christian) allowed two hits, two runs and one walk. Ryan Burt (Columbus; New Hope) went two innings, allowing two hits and one walk. He struck out one batter. Cole Tolbert (Laurel; West Jones) pitched the final three innings of the contest. He allowed just one hit and two walks while striking out a pair of Pirates.

Parker, Broadus and Montz each finished the contest with two hits. Broadus also walked twice.

GAME TWO

The Wildcats put up a six-spot in the second inning of the game. Perry got the inning started by walking on four straight pitches. Donaldson, Walters and Triston Hickman (Wiggins; Stone) were then hit by pitches to push across the first run. Woodcock hit a two-run single and Bell followed it up by pushing across a run on a Pirate error. Broadus rounded out the scoring by driving in two with a single.

The fourth inning of play began with three straight walks by Broadus, Parker and Perry. One batter later, Donaldson brought in a run with a sacrifice fly. Walters singled to drive a run in. The Wildcats then score two more runs to take a 10-0 lead.

In the fifth inning, Perry drove in a run with a single. Montz followed it up by hitting a two-run triple to put PRCC ahead 13-0.

Leif Moore (Biloxi; St. Martin) pitched the first inning of the game, allowing just one hit. Sam Hill (Soso; West Jones) pitched a perfect second inning and stuck out a batter. Blake Hooks(Petal) threw a three-up, three-down third inning. Bobby Magee (Petal) was the next pitcher to throw an inning and gave up just one hit and struck out another. Landen Payne (Ocean Springs; St. Martin) threw the final inning of the day, striking out all three batters that he faced.

Broadus and Montz both finished the game with two hits. Parker and Perry each walked twice. Woodcock, Montz and Broadus all drove in two runs.

UP NEXT

The Wildcats return to action May 16-20 as they host the Region 23 Tournament. Stay tuned to PRCCAthletics.com for more information once the bracket is finalized.

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