Mixture of offense, defense propels No. 12 PRCC to a third straight MACCC sweep
Richard Gleber - PRCC Sports Media/Webmaster
MERIDIAN, Miss. — A mixture of timely offense and strong defense propelled the No. 12 Pearl River softball team to a third consecutive MACCC sweep in Meridian. The Wildcats used strong pitching and hitting for an 11-1 six-inning game-one victory. It was a defensive battle as the Wildcats gutted out a one-hit, 1-0 game-two win for the sweep.
“In game one, the girls came out hot. We went through the whole lineup in one inning. It was very important to win game two,” PRCC head coach Christie Meeks on the Wildcats' performance. “Brinson did a great job staying composed. We could not get anything rolling offensively. I feel like any time you sweep on the road, it’s a great day.”
GAME ONE
The Wildcat (23-6 overall; 7-1 MACCC) offense started out hot in the top of the first inning against the Eagles (7-20 overall; 2-6 MACCC) in what later turned into a defensive battle. Morgan Lavergne (Baton Rouge, La.; Central) opened the game with a walk. Dallyn Nance (Nanih Waiya) followed with a single, advancing Lavergne to second. Julianah Overstreet (Vancleave) brought Lavergne home with a single to center field to put the Wildcats on the board 1-0. In the next at-bat, Bryn Daughtery (Vancleave) left no doubt with a rocket over the center field fence for a three-run home run to extend the lead to 4-0.
After the Wildcats' big top of the first inning, the game became a defensive battle as both teams struggled to find offense through the middle innings. The Wildcats relied on strong pitching and solid defense to keep the Eagles out of the scoring column. Starting pitcher Natalie Herrington (Petal) struck out six batters through the first five innings, and catcher Marisa West (Citronelle, Ala.; LeRoy) threw out two Eagle base runners.
The Wildcats found its offense again in the top of the sixth. After a Daughtery walk to open the top of the sixth, West hit a monster home run to center field to give the Wildcats a 6-0 lead. With Destiney Gary (Greenwell Springs, La.; Central) and Natalie Toups (Brandon; Clinton Christian Academy) on base, a CharLee Meadows (Piave; Greene County) sacrifice advanced the base runners to second and third, Lavergne walked to load the bases. Nance cleared the bases with a long single to left field, scoring Gary, 7-0. In the next at-bat, Overstreet hit into a fielder’s choice to score Gary, 8-0. Daughtery cleared the bases with a single to left field to give the Wildcats an 11-0 advantage.
The Eagles plated one run in the bottom of the sixth to bring the final score to 11-1.
Herrington pitched a complete game, striking out seven and giving up three hits and one earned run.
“Natalie Herrington did a great job of holding the lead and only allowing one run to score.” Meeks on Herrington’s pitching performance.
PRCC’s Bryn Daughtery
Daughtery had a monster day at the plate batting 2-for-3 with one home run, six RBIs and one run. Overstreet was 1-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs.
“Bryn and Julianah were both clutch today at the plate.” Meeks on the Daughtery's and Overstreet’s game one hitting.
GAME TWO
The Wildcats used strong pitching and defense to pull out a hard-fought 1-0 win in game two against the Eagles.
Pitcher Brinson Anne Rogers (Statesboro, Ga.) set the tone defensively for the Wildcats by striking out three of the four batters faced in the bottom of the first.
After a three up, three down top of the second, Rogers struck out two batters in the bottom of the inning.
Overstreet got the Wildcats on the board in the top of the third. After walks by Toups and Nance, Overstreet singled to center field to drive in Toups for what would be the game's only score, 1-0.
Rogers relied on the Wildcat defense through the remainder of the game, forcing Eagle batters into routine pop-ups and grounders. The Wildcats only allowed four baserunners to go with eight Rogers strikeouts over the last four innings.
Rogers was dominant with a complete game effort. She ended the day by striking out 13 and allowing four hits.
Julianah Overstreet was 1-for-2 on the day with one RBI.
“In game two, Julianah’s RBI was big,” Meeks commented on a tough game two. “ Dallyn had a phenomenal catch in left field, full extension, to continue to hold the one-run lead.”
NEXT UP
The Wildcats will return home to face Itawamba on Saturday. The games are scheduled for 1/3 p.m. and will be livestreamed at prccmedia.com/gold.
CASHLESS BOX OFFICE
To help improve traffic flow and fan experience, PRCC athletics box offices will be cashless in 2022-23. Only credit and debit cards will be accepted at the box office. Fans are encouraged to beat the lines and purchase their tickets in advance at PRCCAthletics.com/Tickets.
TUNE IN
Pearl River livestreams all home games for free at PRCCMedia.com/gold. Fans who have Roku, Amazon Fire, or Apple TV devices can also watch the Wildcat broadcasts by downloading the "Pearl River CC" channel from their app stores.
For the latest on Pearl River Community College athletics, follow us on Twitter (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).
