All the elements are there for Porters Chapel to make another run to the MAIS Class A baseball title.

The Eagles (5-0) displayed a much-improved defense to go with a deeper pitching staff and timely hitting to crush defending MAIS Class A champion Riverfield 12-2 Friday night at Pierce Field. The win was PCA’s second impressive win in as many nights. They beat Central Hinds 9-2 Thursday night.

PCA coach Jerry Bourne was elated to grab two quality wins in equally strong showings.

“I was proud of the way we came out tonight,” Bourne said. “Riverfield put us out last year, so we had a little edge to us. Talbot pitched well and was very efficient and we played good defense. It was a well-played game all around for us.”

Buys, the Eagles’ 6-foot-7 junior left-hander, threw the best game of his career. He struck out eight over 51⁄3 innings. Riverfield (0-2) managed six hits against him, but got only two runs and only one of those were earned.

Buys, who struggled in the No. 3 pitching role last year, felt more at ease because the Eagles are much stronger defensively.

“The defense can make plays behind me,” Buys said. “I just have to concentrate on throwing strikes. I feel like I can help the team a lot in our bid to win state.”

Riverfield coach Gary Cater was impressed by the Eagles, but he also said the Rebels are rebuilding after heavy graduation losses.

“We lost eight seniors off last year’s team, so we’re real young,” Cater said. “That said, Porters Chapel has a really good team. The defense is better and they pitched well tonight.”

That was not the case in Game 2 of last year’s South State Class A series, when the Rebels came back in the late innings thanks to a late-inning PCA defensive meltdown. The Rebels won Game 3 at Pierce Field to eliminate the Eagles. Bourne feels the wins over Central Hinds, a Class AA club, and Riverfield, will go a long way to help PCA’s confidence.

“I think these two wins lets us know where we stand,” Bourne said. “I was looking forward to Central Hinds because they had played some good opponents.”

Buys gave up two hits in his first inning, but also had three strikeouts. Kawayne Gaston gave PCA a 2-0 lead with a two-out double that scored Jeff Hearn and Montana McDaniel.

Riverfield got an unearned run in the second, but the Eagles answered with three runs in the bottom half. McDaniel had a two-run single and Matt Warren followed with a hit to left to score McDaniel for a 5-1 lead.

Buys had a 7-1 lead in the sixth when a single by Patrick Pelley ended his night. Cameron Upton entered and struck out two of the three batters faced. The one he didn’t get was a two-out RBI single by Drew Horne to make it 7-2.

The Eagles ended the game in the bottom half of the sixth with five runs. Warren knocked in two with a double off the center field fence. Ritchie Bufkin plated two more with a single and later scored the 12th run on a passed ball.

Warren’s two hits and three RBIs led the Eagle bats. McDaniel had a hit, two RBIs, and two runs scored. Hearn, Sam Staggs and Jared Tompkins each scored two runs.