POPLARVILLE – After getting beat handily 10-0 in game one, Hinds Community College baseball bounced back to take game two 5-4 over the second ranked Pearl River Community College Wildcats.
 
Head coach Dan Rives praised his team's toughness to get the split in Poplarville. 
 
"I was very proud of our response in game two, as our guys proved once again that they are very tough when their backs are against the wall," Rives said. "We have come out fighting every single time when we have been faced with that scenario and it has become a trademark of our team. Pearl River got after us in game one and took it to us. However, to come away with a split against that team and in that ballpark says a lot about our kids and their toughness."
 
Game one
 
The Eagles had a rude awakening in game one of the double-header with the Wildcats, losing 10-0.
 
Leading the charge at the plate was Josh Rodriguez (Belleville, NJ), who recorded two hits in the contest. Justin Williams (Madison), Connor Chisolm (Madison) and Robi Riggin (Raymond) all had one hit in game one.
 
Drawing the start on the bump was Williams, who pitched 4.1 innings, giving up six hits and striking out four. John David Gunn (Clinton) pitched an inning in relief and struck out one while scattering five hits.
 
The Wildcats managed to get the run-rule victory in the bottom of the sixth inning to take game one.
 
Game two
 
The Eagles got the split in the road series with Pearl River by winning game two 5-4.
 
Hinds got off to a hot start in the first inning when they put up two runs. Those runs came off the bat of Clay Benson (Monroe, LA), who doubled in Williams and Rodriguez.
 
Pearl River was shut out in the first inning of game two by starting pitcher Kendrick Bershell (Vicksburg). Bershell pitched three innings, striking out five and giving up five hits. Bershell gave way to Gage Bihm (Washington, LA), Jake-Riley Gunn (Hattiesburg) and Holland Townes (Ridgeland) to close out game two. In a game where many pitchers were available, the Eagle bullpen capitalized, holding off the Wildcats in the final inning.
 
The Eagles pushed their lead to three by scoring one run in the second inning on a Chisolm single that scored Clayton Thurman (Vicksburg). But, the Wildcats would get two back in the bottom half of the second to but the Eagle lead to one.
 
Hinds scored their final runs of the game in the third inning when they put up two more runs on an error and a Thurman single.
 
The Eagle pitchers put up four straight scoreless frames in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Townes would eventually close the door on the Wildcats in the seventh despite them scoring two runs. The Eagles got the game two victory 5-4.
 
Up next
 
The Eagles welcome East Central Community College to Raymond on Wednesday, April 20. First pitch of game one is set for 3 p.m. at Joe G. Moss Field.