Blue Devils Complete Sweep with 14-5 Win over West Jones
Carriere—The Pearl River Central (PRC) Blue Devils pounded out 16 hits against West Jones on Saturday night in winning Game 2 of their best of three series 14-5 and completing a sweep of the series.
Twenty-four hours after senior righthander Cade Lee throttled back the bats of the West Jones Mustangs in a 4-0 complete game win, the PRC bats were the difference in Game 2.
After junior Rigel Robinson worked a three up three down top of the first, the Blue Devils got on the board when Tristan Schlottman walked, and Austen Izzio walked. With one out, Eli Lee singled up the middle driving in both runs for a 2-0 lead.
West Jones scored a run in the top of the second and PRC added two more in the bottom of the frame. Caleb Tynes led off the inning with a single to left field and moved to second when the left fielder bobbled the ball. Zach Roussell beat out a bunt for a single putting runners at the corners. Freshman Mason Treat pushed a near perfect bunt toward first base that was fielded by the first baseman and Treat beat everyone to the bag for a single to bring in Tynes and put runners on second and first. Schlottman singled to left field to bring Roussell.
The Mustangs tied the game in the top of the third on three hits and a walk to make the score 4-4.
In the bottom of the fourth, PRC got a three-run moon shot home run off the bat of Hayden Dunhurst (his 8th of the year) on a 2-2 count that landed deep in the pine trees in right field. The blast brought in Schlottman and Izzio who singled and doubled with one out to set up the shot by Dunhurst. The home run pushed Dunhurst’s RBI total to 36 for the season and gave the Blue Devils a 7-4 lead.
West Jones got an unearned run in the top of the fifth on a PRC error and two hits to make it 7-5.
The Blue Devils scored two runs in the bottom of the inning. Roussell singled to start the inning and Treat walked. Schlottman moved the runners up with a sacrifice bunt. Izzio, who was 3 for 3 to this point in the game, drove in Roussell with a sacrifice fly to left field to make it 8-5 and moved Treat to third. Dunhurst walked to put runners at the corners. With Eli Lee batting, Dunhurst stole second base and the Mustangs mishandled the throw at second base allowing Treat to race home from third to make it 9-5.
Robinson worked a three up three down inning in the top of the sixth with the help of a web-gem plays by Izzio on the first Mustang batter of the inning and another one by Treat for the third out.
In the bottom of the frame, PRC pushed across 5 runs on 4 hits. Josh Kennedy, Tynes, Roussell, and Connor Holston each had hits in the inning.
Sophomore Austin Dean pitched the top of the seventh to close out the game.
Blue Devils Head Coach Neal Walther shared this with WRJW radio after the game.
“It feels good to win it in two games and I told the guys it’s okay to win a Game 2,” joking about his team not having to play three games as they have so many times over the past few seasons in the playoffs..
Walther commented on the next opponent, the Long Beach Bearcats.
“They pitch the ball really well and they play really good defense. They play by the book baseball.”
With the win, PRC moves its record to 22-10 on the season. The series with Long Beach starts at Long Beach on Thursday for Game 1 and returns to Carriere on Friday for Game 2. Game 3, if needed, would be played at Long Beach.
