CLARKSDALE - CCC Baseball stayed hot Friday in Clarksdale, splitting a doubleheader with the Pearl River Wildcats to move to 3-1 in MACJC play. The squad's win 5-4 in Game 2 was its 7th in the last 8 games. 

The majority of Game 1 proved to be a back-and-forth affair, with neither team able to build more than a 1-run lead before Pearl River seized control in the 8th. The Tigers used an early RBI single by Hayden Tapper to take a 1-0 lead, only to have Pearl River immediately respond in the top of the 2nd with a run by Nic Kennedy. 

After PRCC took its first lead in the top of the 4th, CCC got a leadoff double by Adam Cook and a sac fly by Braxton Wall to equalize. The teams again traded runs in the 5th. The score would stand at 3-3 into the 8th.

Latalo Newson, the Tiger starter, pitched into that frame, escaping jams and accumulating strikeouts to give his side a shot to win. Newson stranded 8 men in scoring position over the first 6 innings and piled up 7 Ks over 7.1 innings. He surrendered an infield single with one out in the 8th, giving way to Garrett Short. PRCC got to Short for a single, a fielder's choice and 3 walks (1 intentional) for their first multi-run inning of the game. They would add 1 more in the ninth to emerge with a 6-3 win.

In Game 2, Leonardo Castro went to the hill for CCC. The man from Cartagena, Colombia gave up an early run, but, like Newson, was mostly able to keep a lid on the damage. He would pitch into the 7th and final inning. 

Tapper once again drove in Lowell Haney in the 1st, sending a double to right-center to make it 1-1. The Tiger offense then used a leadoff triple from Wall in the 2nd to key a 3-run inning that featured runs from Wall, Zach Morris and Tyler Crouch.

The 4-1 lead would hold into the 7th, when the Wildcats finally got to Castro. They put two aboard ahead of Zachary Clark. The PRCC leader in home runs did not disappoint those who traveled from Poplarville, blasting a 3-run homer over the center field wall to make it 4-4. Dustin Allen came from the bullpen to douse the fire and assure extra innings.

In the 8th, the Wildcats loaded the bases against Allen with one out. But the 2-time MACJC pitcher of the week saved his best for last, inducing two fielder's choices to send the game to the bottom half of the first extra frame.

There, it was the Tigers' turn to load the bases, and, with two outs, Adam Cook sent a bouncer back to PRCC relief man Cody Lee, who mishandled the ball and fired it past the Wildcat catcher, allowing Bailey Lott to score the winning run. 

The Tigers (9-12-1, 3-1 MACJC) now head to East Central CC today. First pitch vs. the Warriors is slated for 2 pm.

A live stream will be available on coahomasports.com and mixlr.com/ZSports.

Photos from the games vs. PRCC are available HERE and audio highlights are available HERE.