Pearl River falls in Region 23 Championship; Heads to World Series May 19-24

POPLARVILLE, Miss. – The No. 5 Pearl River softball team went toe-to-toe with No. 4 Copiah-Lincoln in a Region 23 Championship showdown Sunday afternoon, battling into extra innings before falling just short, 3-2, in a nine-inning heartbreaker.

Pearl River leaned on a dominant performance in the circle from Ana-Grace Garcia, who worked out of multiple jams and kept the Wildcats within striking distance all game long. Time and again, Garcia delivered under pressure, and silencing Copiah-Lincoln’s offense through key moments.

The Wildcats broke through first in the top of the fourth inning thanks to a standout swing from freshman third baseman Shania Fondren. Fondren jumped on a hanging breaking ball and crushed it over the left-field wall for a solo home run, her 26th of the season giving Pearl River a 1-0 advantage.

Copiah-Lincoln responded quickly in the bottom half of the inning, stringing together four hits to push across two runs and take a 2-1 lead, a margin they held deep into the game.

Facing their final three outs in the seventh inning, Pearl River turned once again to Fondren and she delivered. On a 1-1 pitch, the freshman came through in the clutch, blasting her second solo home run of the day to even the score at 2-2 and force extra innings.

Both teams were locked in during the eighth, with neither side able to break through. But in the bottom of the ninth, Copiah-Lincoln capitalized on a wild pitch to bring home the winning run, sealing the 3-2 walk-off victory and the Region 23 title.

Despite the tough loss, Pearl River’s season is far from over.

The Wildcats now turn their attention to the NJCAA Division II Softball World Series, scheduled for May 19–24 in Spartanburg. Pearl River secured its spot in the national tournament after capturing the Poplarville Regional title earlier in the week.

The Wildcats will look to make a deep postseason run on the national stage.