By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

CARRIERE — Pearl River Central took a huge step toward taking the top seed in Region 3-6A Friday night.
The Blue Devils shutout West Jones in the rubber match of that three game league series 6-0 to move back into sole possession of first place in the region race. PRC sits at 8-1 in the loop, while the Mustangs fall to 7-2.
Pearl River Central took game one of the series also at home Tuesday night 2-1 in eight innings before West Jones bounced back to even the affair up Thursday night with a 8-2 decision in Soso.

The Blue Devils led just 1-0 entering the fifth frame, thanks to an RBI-single by J.J. Moreale in the second stanza. But PRC would steadily stretch that lead over the next two innings by adding a pair of runs in the fifth and sixth stanzas to complete the final count.
Blake Gill and Brayden Lee each drove in a run apiece on a fielder’s choice to make it 3-0 while PRC added runs in the next at bat on an error and a bases-loaded walk.
Meanwhile, Conner Dyess was in complete control on the mound as he twirled the complete game, four-hit whitewash of the Mustangs striking out five and walking three to earn the win.

Dyess, Moreale and Kendall Morrison each had two hits apiece to pace PRC at the plate, while one of Dyess’ hits was a triple and Gill had a game-high two RBIs.
Pearl River Central now stands a solid 21-3 overall after taking two of three from West Jones in this battle of perennial state powers while West Jones dropped to 17-5 overall after pulling into a brief one day tie for the top spot with the Blue Devils.

The Blue Devils won the Class 5A state championship in 2017 and the Mustangs followed suit in the same class two years later in taking the title in 2019. Both schools moved up a level upon a first-ever expansion to seven classifications by the Mississippi High School Activities Association before the current school year began.

Both teams have just one week left in league play, as the Blue Devils cane clinch the top seed with at least one win over Hattiesburg next week in that three game series against the third placeTigers. The Mustangs face Terry in a trifecta, and the Bulldogs are winless in the region race at 0-9 and are just 2-20 overall.