Porter’s Chapel Academy’s hopes of making the MAIS Class AAA baseball playoffs were likely sunk weeks ago, with a handful of losses to the District 3-AAA frontrunners and some generally uneven play.

The Eagles, however, are still mathematically alive and surging toward the season’s homestretch.

PCA has scored 31 runs in its last three games and won two of them, including a 16-4 rout of district foe Park Place Christian on Tuesday. The Eagles (8-8, 4-3 District 3-AAA) will be eliminated from playoff contention with one more district loss, or a win by either Central Hinds or St. Aloysius, but until that becomes official they’re still plugging away.

“It seemed like we struggled finding ourselves, finding the right combination that works. It’s starting to click a little bit. People are starting to identify their roles on the team. It might be coming in to get a pinch hit or a left-handed batter out,” PCA coach Wade Patrick said. “We’re starting to believe in ourselves a little bit. We lost a lot of close games early, and then we didn’t play well in some. It’s still a feel-out process. The bad part is, you don’t have but 26 games to figure it out, where in college you’ve got 60 and the major leagues you’ve got 160.”

Part of PCA’s recent hot streak has stemmed from an increase in production at the plate. Over the past three games it has scored 31 runs on 27 hits, and scored more than one run in eight of the 19 innings it has played.

Cole Pittman has led the charge, going 8-for-10 with three doubles, five RBIs and seven runs scored in the last three games. Leadoff man Bradley McCullough has reached base eight times in 13 plate appearances and scored five runs, while cleanup hitter Brayden Ray is 4-for-9 with four RBIs and five runs scored.

Ray was 2-for-3 with a home run, three RBIs and four runs scored in Tuesday’s win over Park Place. His two-run homer in the first inning helped stake PCA to an early 5-0 lead.

“Everybody’s just aggressive. We have our teeth out on the first thing you throw us. We’re trying to get on base and score,” Ray said.

Patrick added that the Eagles are doing a better job of putting pressure on opponents. They struck out 15 times in an 8-7, eight-inning loss to Canton Academy on Monday, but did not strike out at all and batted around in two different innings against Park Place.

“The main thing is, we’re putting the ball in play. (Monday) we struck out too much, but in between we were making good contact and making the other team make a play,” Patrick said. “If you hit the ball hard and run out of the box hard, then good things happen. If they field it clean and see you busting your butt down the line, he’s going to speed up a little bit. That might turn into a two-base error and be the difference in the ballgame. That’s what we’re trying to instill is that you have to do that every play.”

The Eagles have seven games left in the regular season, starting Thursday at 5 p.m. at Park Place, but in reality the season will be over next week. That’s when they play a home-and-home series against Riverfield Academy and the district standings will settle out.

PCA is three games behind district leader St. Al, and two behind second-place Central Hinds, with three league games remaining. Both frontrunners own the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Eagles, meaning PCA needs another upset this week to have any chance at reaching the playoffs. Only the top two teams in each district advance.

While the postseason is a longshot at this point, their late-season push has lifted the Eagles’ spirits and at least kept them in the conversation.

“We need to keep doing what we’re doing and give it our best, and see what we can make out of it,” Ray said.