POPLARVILLE, Miss. — No. 5 Pearl River Community College used a strong fifth inning to defeat No. 6 Jones College 5-2 Monday at Wildcat Stadium. The win sends Pearl River into Tuesday’s regional final against the winner of an elimination game later Monday. The Wildcats will need to be beaten twice to be eliminated.
Jones, which entered with a 46-9 record, faces an elimination game against Northeast or Itawamba at 7 p.m. later Monday. Pearl River, with a 42-6 record, improved to 43-6 with the victory.
Jones took an early lead in the second inning when Addy Shorter hit a two-run home run to center field, giving the Bobcats a 2-1 advantage. Pearl River responded with a tying RBI-double from Teegan DeWitt in the bottom half of the inning. Laney Little’s diving catch in center was just out of reach to prevent an even bigger inning for Jones.
In the fifth, Pearl River took the lead on a two-out RBI-single. Anastasia Acree then hit a two-run homer off the scoreboard, extending the Wildcats’ lead to 5-2 and effectively sealing the game.
Jones was limited to three hits, with the top of its lineup going 1-for-14. Breelyn Cain, the losing pitcher, fell to 11-6 after allowing five runs on seven hits over seven innings. She struck out four and walked four. Ann-Grace Garcia earned the win for Pearl River, scattering three hits over seven innings, striking out eight, and allowing only one earned run. After the home run by Shorter, Garcia retired 15 of the final 17 batters she faced.
