Pearl River dominates in Baton Rouge
BATON ROUGE, La. -- The Pearl River baseball team flexed their muscles in a big way Sunday picking up two impressive wins on the road in Baton Rouge.
The Wildcats (3-1) picked up their first win of the day defeating St. Louis Community College, 11-4, and then followed it with an even more impressive victory over Baton Rouge, 23-3.
The Wildcats showed up in a big way with great play from their hitters and their pitching staff.
Pearl River 11, St. Louis 4
PRCC came out of the gate quickly against St. Louis.
In the bottom of the first inning Noah Barron (Hoover ; Ala.) would hit a single to score Matt Taylor (Raleigh) for PRCC's first run of the game.
The second inning saw Dexter Jordan (Hattiesburg) crush the ball for his first home run of the season giving the Wildcat's a 2-0 lead.
Barron would score Taylor yet again in the third inning on a fielder's choice and Reece Ewing (Mobile, Ala.; Faith Academy) hit a single to right field to score Barron.
The top of the fourth inning was where PRCC would really break things open.
Luke Harper (Meridian; Northeast Lauderdale) got things rolling with a sacrifice fly that would score Jordan.
Taylor followed that up with a sacrifice fly as well scoring Kasey Donaldson (Gulfport; West Harrison).
Austen Izzio (Carriere; Pearl River Central) and Wiley Cleland (Columbia; Columbia Academy) hit back to back doubles to score Deyton Lingle (Lake) and Izzio respectively and extend the PRCC lead to 8-0.
St. Louis bounced back later in the bottom of the sixth with four runs of their own to close in on the lead.
Jordan batted in another RBI with a single to center field scoring Cleland.
Magruder O'Bannon hit a double to right field that scored both Jordan and Ewing, extending the Wildcat lead to 11-4.
While PRCC had hot bats for the entirety of the game, the Wildcats stood out on the mound just as much.
Matt Taylor scored five runs in PRCC's two wins Sunday in Baton Rouge.
(KRISTI HARRIS/PRCC ATHLETICS)
Shemar Page (Raleigh) did not give up a hit in the five innings that he pitched. Page also struck out 10 batters en route to his first win of the season. PRCC coach Michael Avalon felt that Page owned the mound in his second start of the season. "I thought the first thing that stood out was Shemar throwing well again and gave us another quality start," Avalon said.
Jordan and Barron led the team with 2 RBI's a piece.
"Dex hit a home run and he has that potential. His first two games of the season didn't go as planned but he has been working and made some adjustments and it paid off today," Avalon said.
Pearl River 23, Baton Rouge 3
As impressive as the Wildcat's looked in their first win, they looked even more so in their second.
Barron got things started scoring Matt Taylor on a double in the first inning.
PRCC blew the game open in the top of the second inning however.
Kasey Donaldson hit a double to score Jordan to get things started.
Britt McKay followed that up with a single that scored Page and Donaldson.
McKay scored after a hit by pitch with the bases loaded.
Jordan hit a single that scored both Taylor and Barron that would extend the Wildcat lead to 7-0.
PRCC flexed its muscles again in the top of the fourth.
Ewing scored on a passed ball to get things started and extend the lead.
Britt McKay hit a single that scored both Jordan and Page.
A balk by the Baton Rouge pitcher scored Donaldson.
Barron scored Taylor with a single to left field.
Wiley Cleland scored Izzio with a double of his own.
Pearl River would cash in their last two runs on yet another passed ball that scored both Barron and Cleland, extending the lead to 15-0.
Cleland came up big yet again hitting a 3 run homer in the fifth inning to increase the lead to 18-0.
The Wildcats did their last bit of damage in the top of the seventh scoring five runs.
Luke Harper and Trenton Lee (Picayune) both scored on passed balls to start the inning.
Page doubled for his last hit of the night scoring Cleland.
Cameron Havard (Columbia; Columbia Academy) hit a double that scored both Reis Trager (Hurley; East Central) and Page.
Miles Smith got the start on the mound for the Wildcats, only giving up two hits and striking out six in four innings pitched.
"I thought Miles looked really good again," Avalon said. "He came out there and threw some quality stuff and when him and Shemar both pitch like that we have got a great shot at picking up two wins."
Cleland led the team in RBI's with five.
"Wiley had a really good game, he was hitting the ball hard out there," Avalon said. "He did a good job of squaring the baseball up with the pitches they gave him."
Up Next
Pearl River will be back on the road Tuesday when they take on Coastal Alabama East in a doubleheader scheduled to start at 12.
For the latest on Pearl River Community College athletics, follow us on Twitter (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).
