No. 2 Pearl River shakes off nerves, run-rules No. 10 Kellogg

Dylan Dunaway - PRCC Sports Information Director

ENID, Okla. — Trailing 1-0 after 3 1/2 innings, the No. 2 Pearl River baseball team needed someone to break things open against No. 10 Kellogg in the NJCAA Division II World Series opener.

With two outs in the bottom of the fourth, freshman Jackson Hood (Madison; Germantown) rose to the occasion, bashing a solo homer (photo below) to turn the tide for the Wildcats. PRCC scored in each of the final five innings to run-rule the Bruins 11-3 in eight innings.

"We had some jitters and nerves early on, and I'm thankful for that because I know that it means something to them," head coach Michael Avalon said. "We squared some balls up early and didn't have any luck. We needed someone to pop the bubble, and Hood did that today. That got us going."

The victory sets up a showdown with in-state rival East Central Tuesday at 7 p.m. 

Pearl River (51-8 overall) turned to the MACCC Pitcher of the Year, KK Clark (Brandon), to begin the World Series against Kellogg (33-14). The Bruins got to Clark in the third, turning three singles into a run and a 1-0 advantage.

The Louisiana Tech signee, Clark, returned to form in the fourth, racking up a pair of strikeouts and getting aided by a stellar play from his shortstop, Jaxon Milam (Phenix City, Ala.; Glenwood Academy), who snagged a liner on a dive to his right.

The Wildcats had some tough luck throughout the early innings, as numerous hard-hit baseballs were right at defenders. Hood ended that in the fourth, blasting an opposite-field solo home run over the 369-foot sign in right-center to even the score up at one apiece. The blast was his 13th of the year, putting him in a tie for first place on the team.

"This place (Enid) is special. It's a long road to get here, so to have some success here is amazing," Hood said. "I felt really good in the box today. Now we've got to move forward to the next day and the next game."

Following the long ball and a 1-2-3 fifth from Clark, PRCC returned to the plate with renewed optimism in the fifth for what quickly became a huge inning. With two in scoring position, Jacob Keys (Brandon) sent a hopper to third base. The fielder opted to try to get the runner headed to the plate and threw the ball away from a two-run error, giving the Wildcats the lead. A walk put an additional runner in scoring position for Topher Jones (Hernando), who sent a pitch right back where it came from for an RBI single, 4-1. An RBI fielder's choice off the bat of Hood tacked on PRCC's fifth run, and Ethan Garner (Gulfport) capped the scoring when he unexpectedly dropped down a bunt for a base hit and an RBI,

6-1. By the time the frame had ended, PRCC sent 11 to the plate and scored five runs.

The Bruins responded with a two-run double in the sixth to get back within three, 6-3. Hood showed off his defensive abilities in the seventh inning, unleashing a laser from right field on a shallow single to nail a runner trying to advance to third base. The play provided the Wildcats with energy as Jones smacked his second RBI single of the day to extend the PRCC advantage to 7-3.

The runs continued to flow in the seventh and eighth innings to help the Wildcats put things away. In the seventh, Nico Williams (Gulfport) took advantage of his first at-bat by crushing a two-run triple off the center field wall. Logan Terry (Semmes, Ala.; East Central) put the game to rest in the eighth with a two-run single to complete the 11-3 run-rule victory.

LEADING THE WAY

Keegan Giger (Petal), Jones, Hood and Terry each had two hits in the game. Keys, Jones, Hood, Terry and Williams each had two RBIs. Hood also walked twice.

Clark earned his 11th win of the season by throwing six innings of three-run baseball. The right-hander allowed six hits and punched out eight. Caleb Dyess (Carriere; Pearl River Central) tossed a pair of scoreless innings, allowing one hit and three walks. He tallied two strikeouts.

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets are $15 per day or $75 for an all-tournament pass. Ages 7 and under are free. Tickets are $15 per day or $75 for an all-tournament pass. Ages 7 and under are free. They can be purchased at the gate.

HOW TO WATCH

The entirety of the 2025 NJCAA DII World Series will be broadcast live on the NJCAA Network at NJCAA.org/network. A Day Pass is $12, a Tournament Pass is $35 and a Championship Game Pass is $5.

The games will also be broadcast live at FM 106.9 / 1320 AM and at WRJWRadio.com

For the latest on Pearl River Community College athletics, follow us on X (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).