UPDATED: No. 19 Bulldogs lose to No. 2 PRCC

UPDATE: This release has been updated with a change in Friday's start time.

ELLISVILLE — No. 19 Mississippi Gulf Coast didn't cash on their best opportunity in its second game of the NJCAA Region 23 Baseball Tournament against No. 2 Pearl River, and the Bulldogs paid for it Thursday.

Gulf Coast lost 10-1 in seven innings to the hosts, dropping the Bulldogs into an elimination game Friday.

"We just got outcompeted and outcoached," coach Zach Allen said. "It's just all around. They were ready to play, and we weren't."

The Bulldogs (38-18) are now scheduled to play Northeast Mississippi (31-23) in a do-or-die game that's been moved back to 4 p.m. Thursday, but Mother Nature still makes that proposition iffy. 

Pearl River improved to 47-7. Northeast eliminated Meridian 6-4 in Thursday's first game.

Gulf Coast dodged a big inning in the third and headed to the fourth down 3-0. The Bulldogs' biggest threat of the day, though, went lacking.

"When they're pitching like they are, when you have an opportunity, you have to establish something," Allen said. "When you come over here, the first inning is key. They got a little momentum going, but I thought we had a chance. We rolled a double play in the third, then got the bases loaded and didn't come through."

Dom Jackson (So, Gulf Breeze, Fla./Gulf Breeze) led off the fourth with a walk, and Tanner Ladner (So, Pass Christian/Hancock) and Brandon Coakley (Fr, Covington, La./Covington) singled with one out. Gulf Coast couldn't cut into the deficit.

Jackson had an RBI single in the fifth for Gulf Coast's only run.

Weather may help the Bulldogs' pitching staff out if the expected rain comes through. But they'll have to get past a Northeast Mississippi team they beat 9-1 in the first round to have another shot at PRCC.

"We've got to fight like we've been doing all season," Allen said. "We've got Samuel Marsh going against Northeast, and we might have Eli Waters coming back depending on the rain. We're still playing ball, and there's a lot of teams that aren't. We've got to keep competing."

NJCAA Region 23 Baseball Tournament

May 5-9

Poplarville

Monday

Play-in: No. 9 Meridian 6, No. 8 Northwest Mississippi 0

Game 1: No. 4 Gulf Coast 9, No. 5 Northeast Mississippi 1 (7 innings)

Tuesday

Game 2: No. 1 Pearl River 4, No. 9 Meridian 2

Thursday

Game 3: Northeast 6, Meridian 4

Game 4: Pearl River 10, Gulf Coast 1 (7 innings)

Friday

Game 5: Northeast Mississippi vs. Gulf Coast, 4 p.m.

Game 6: Pearl River vs. Game 5 winner, 7 p.m.

Saturday

Game 7: Game 8 winner vs. Game 6 loser, 4 p.m. (if necessary)

For more information on MGCCC's 12 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.