Keys’ blast secures sweep for No. 5 Pearl River

Dylan Dunaway - PRCC Sports Information Director

POPLARVILLE, Miss. — Down by a pair in the late innings, the No. 5 Pearl River baseball team needed a hero against Baton Rouge.

With two runners aboard, Southern Miss transfer Jacob Keys (Brandon) stepped to the plate in the biggest situation of the night. The first pitch thrown to Keys hung over the middle of the plate, and he bashed it over the left field wall to propel the Wildcats to a 3-2 victory. The win secured the sweep for the Wildcats in their first home doubleheader after winning game one 5-0.

"I went up there and put my faith in God," Keys said. "I trusted my preparation. I trusted the guys behind me. We went up there and got it done."

Head coach Michael Avalon talked about the day for the Wildcats.

"I made a mistake at the end by leaving Jacob (Johnson) in the game when I had a reliever warm," he said. "I told the guys I needed someone to pick me up, and they did that. We're going to get better on offense. That's what I am most excited about. We're still really young at the plate, and these hitters are learning."

Pearl River's pitching staff racked up an incredible 27 strikeouts throughout the day.

"We have a stable full of good arms," Keys said. "We're going to be really good on the mound. No matter who we run out there, we're going to get punchouts and we're going to win on the mound."

GAME ONE

Pearl River (5-1 overall) struggled offensively the first couple of innings of the day against the Bears, but it didn't matter with Mississippi State transfer KK Clark (Brandon) on the mound. The future Louisiana Tech Bulldog struck out seven through four innings to keep the Bears (1-7) off the scoreboard.

Finally, Pearl River rewarded his efforts in the fourth inning with a three-run frame. With two runners aboard, Jackson Hood (Madison; Germantown) sent a towering fly ball into the left centerfield gap. The BRCC centerfielder got under the ball, but it hit off his glove and fell into play, allowing a run to score. Two batters later, Keegan Giger (Petal) brought in a run with a sacrifice fly. Finally, Logan Terry (Semmes, Ala.; East Central) capped the scoring with an RBI single, 3-0.

Clark went right back into attack mode in the fifth inning, striking out all three batters that walked to the plate to bring his total to an incredible 10 strikeouts through five innings.

The long ball helped Pearl River extend its lead in the sixth frame as Caston Thompson (Jayess; Brookhaven Academy) belted a two-run homer — his second of the season.

Camden Clark (Laurel; West Jones) threw the sixth inning for Pearl River and worked around a pair of runners on base to get out of the inning unscathed. Clark walked three batters in the seventh, but a flyout and a double play helped him escape the jam again.

Pearl River turned to Patrick Spencer Jr. (Greenville; Washington School) in the eighth, and the flamethrower worked around a walk to retire the side without any problems. He reached 98 miles per hour on his fastball during the outing.

Hank Eaton (Corinth; Kossuth) threw the final inning for the Wildcats, finishing off the 5-0 victory.

KK Clark earned the win after throwing five innings of scoreless baseball. The right-hander struck out an incredible 10 batters and allowed just three hits and a walk. Camden Clark threw two innings, giving up two hits and three walks. He struck out two. Spencer Jr. threw one inning, allowing one hit and striking out two. Eaton threw the final inning of the night, striking out two and allowing one hit.

Thompson had a terrific game, finishing 4-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs. He hit one homer and one double. Jones finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored.

GAME TWO

The Wildcats were just as good on the mound in game two as Jacob Johnson (Carriere; Pearl River Central) was handed the ball to start the contest. 

PRCC's offense scattered baserunners throughout the game's first five innings but couldn't secure any real momentum. Thankfully, much like KK Clark in game one, Johnson was electric. Over the course of six innings, Johnson allowed just two runs on two hits and a walk, striking out eight Bears along the way.

With the Wildcats down 2-0 and down to their last six outs of the night, they needed a big hit to avoid losing to the Bears for the first time since 2022 and just the eighth time all-time. The first batter of the inning for PRCC, Topher Jones (Hernando), struck out swinging but didn't let up to beat out a dropped third strike. Jaxon Milam (Phenix City, Ala.; Glenwood Academy) followed by ripping a single past the diving second baseman and into right field.

After a flyout, Keys walked to the plate, looking for a pitch to hit. The catcher wasted no time, jumping on the first pitch and sending it out of the ballpark for a go-ahead, three-run blast, 3-2.

PRCC turned to its closer, Carson Fair (Southaven), at the top of the seventh. He struck out the first batter before giving up a single. He wasn't phased by the hit, punching out the next two batters to secure the win, 3-2.

Johnson earned the win by throwing six innings and allowing just two runs on two hits and a walk. He had eight strikeouts. Fair struck out three in his lone inning of work.

Keys, Giger, Milam, Thompson, Hood and Chap Cook (Canton; Canton Academy) each had hits in the game.

NEXT UP

The Wildcats head to Baton Rouge on Monday for a single nine-inning contest against the Bears. The games can be heard at WRJW 1320-AM, 106.9 FM and WRJWRadio.com.

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