Pearl River Baseball mercy rules first World Series competitor 11-3! Wildcats will now face in-state rival East Central Tuesday night.
Pearl River Community College is currently in Enid, Oklahoma competing in the NJCAA Division II World Series tournament.
As the overall two seed, the Wildcats opened their World Series campaign on Saturday against Kellogg Community College. The Bruins led through three innings with one run, but we all know that doesn’t last against “The River.”
Freshman Jackson Hood busted open the gates with a solo shot in the bottom of the 4th inning, and Pearl River would go on to score in every single inning after that. Thanks to PRCC’s hot bats and stellar pitching by the ace KK Clark and Pearl River Central native Caleb Dyess, the Wildcats would win their first test with ease, mercy ruling Kellogg 11 to 3.
Clark earned his 11th win of the season, and Jackson Hood had a phenomenal day at the plate with two hits, two RBI’s and two walks. Hood and Head Coach Michael Avalon spoke on their journey thus far at the 2025 World Series.
“It’s pure adrenaline. You can’t feel anything rounding the bases looking at everybody standing up. It’s a big crowd and it’s special,” said Wildcat outfielder Jackson Hood. “It’s a tournament and this game matters, but the next game matters more. You’ve got to drop it and move on to the next one. Your next game is your biggest game.”
“You need that kind of guy that can stand up and pop the bubble for you. The people at home may not realize how impressive his swing (Jackson Hood) and Nico William’s swing were. To hit balls opposite field like that with strength in this ball park and with the wind coming in that way is really impressive,” said Head Coach Michael Avalon. “KK Clark did a great job putting zero’s up for us early and letting us get our feet under us. There were some nerves and I’m thankful to see that because you want them to be excited. This might be the biggest stage they ever play on, so I appreciate the nerves and appreciate the excitement. Hopefully we’ll handle those better on Tuesday.”
The Wildcats will now face a rematch of the Region 23 Championship game. Pearl River will face the in-state rival of East Central Community College on Tuesday at 7pm. WXXV Sports will continue to provide coverage of the Wildcat’s road to another world series title.
Video and interview credits to Ken Irving
