Pearl River Softball splits MACCC opener at Northeast
Richard Gleber - PRCC Sports Media
BOONEVILLE, Miss. — The No. 12 Pearl River softball team split their MACCC opening series against No. 13 Northeast. After dropping a close game one, 3-1, the Wildcats had a dominant performance in game two, winning 6-0.
“This team is tough and they have a lot of fight,” Meeks said of PRCC's team makeup. “I could not be more proud of who they are and how much they play for each other.
“They overcame a lot of adversity and controlled what they knew they could control. Their energy was electric.”
NORTHEAST 3, PEARL RIVER 1
Pearl River (17-6 overall; 1-1 MACCC) struggled to find offense in game one against Northeast (23-3 overall; 1-1 MACCC), only recording one run and one hit.
Natalie Herrington (Petal) pitched out of a jam in the bottom of the first. The second Tiger batter of the inning singled to center field. After a Wildcat error, Northeast had runners on first and third with two outs. Northeast tried a double steal, and a heads-up play by the Wildcats caught the runner on third in a rundown for the third out.
The Wildcats got on the board first in the top of the fourth. Dallyn Nance (Nanih Waiya) singled to third base and advanced to second on the throw. Julianah Overstreet (Vancleave) advanced Nance to third with a sacrifice bunt to the pitcher. Cassidy Cartwright (Poplarville) picked up an RBI on a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Nance, 1-0.
Northeast took the lead in the bottom of the fifth, 2-1, and scored the games final run in the bottom of the sixth, 3-1.
BY THE NUMBERS
Nance was 1-for-3 with one hit. Cartwright had one RBI.
Herrington pitched a complete game giving up five hits and one earned run.
PEARL RIVER 6, NORTHEAST 0
The Wildcats roared back to win game two, 6-0, behind solid hitting, pitching and fielding.
Both teams struggled to find any offense in the first two innings. Overstreet tallied the Wildcats' only hit in the first two frames on a hard ground ball to center. Starting pitcher Brinson Anne Rogers (Statesboro, Ga.) kept the Wildcats at bay, facing six batters and striking out two.
The Wildcats got on the scoreboard in the top of the third inning. Natalie Toups (Brandon; Clinton Christian Academy) walked in her first at-bat. A Morgan Lavergne (Baton Rouge, La.; Central) single put runners on first and second. Overstreet scored Toups on a single to right field to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead.
Rogers shut down the Tigers in the bottom of the third, striking out two of the three batters she faced.
After a scoreless top of the fourth inning, Rogers battled to keep the score 1-0. In the inning, she allowed a walk then struck out the next two batters faced. After walking the next two Northeast batters, Rogers struck out the next batter to end the inning.
PRCC’s Natalie Toups
The Wildcat offense exploded in the top of the fifth, scoring five runs. Toups opened the inning by reaching base on a ground ball error. Lavernge bunted into a fielder’s choice to the third baseman advancing Toups to third, and Lavernge advanced to second on the throw. Next up, Nance had a bunt single to third base to load the bases for the Wildcats. Ryleigh Wallace (Petal) had a pinch-hit blooper over the shortstop to score Toups, 2-0. With bases loaded, Cartwright bunted into a fielder’s choice to score Lavergne, 3-0. Cartwright beat the throw to first to keep the bases loaded. Jena Pacheco (Vancleave) was hit by a pitch in the next at-bat, scoring Nance, 4-0. Destiney Gary (Greenwell Springs, La.; Central) followed with a screaming line drive down the third base line to score Wallace and Cartwright, 6-0.
The Wildcats' defense kept the Tigers in check in the fifth through seventh innings to secure the 6-0 victory.
LEADING THE WAY
Rogers registered nine strikeouts in a complete game performance. She allowed three hits and walked three.
“BA was throwing very hard tonight,” Meeks on Rogers's performance. “She was so confident in what she was doing. ”
Gary was 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Overstreet was 2-for-2 with one RBI. Wallace, Cartwright and Pacheco each recorded one RBI a piece.
NEXT UP
The Wildcats host Southwest on Wednesday. Game times are 3/5 p.m at Wildcat Stadium.
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).
