On Monday, Porter’s Chapel Academy had a bad first inning and lost.

On Tuesday, it had a very good first inning and won going away.

Brayden Ray hit a two-run homer as the Eagles jumped on Park Place for five runs in the bottom of the first, and they went on to earn an easy 16-4 run-rule victory over the Crusaders.

Luke Yocum went 3-for-3 with three RBIs, and Cole Pittman was 2-for-3 with a double, one RBI and three runs scored for the Eagles (8-8, 4-3 District 3-AAA).

PCA and Park Place will play again Thursday at 5 p.m. in Pearl.

“We had to jump on them first. We don’t ever want to let our foot off the throat. On a team like this, this is a big district win,” said Ray, who also had a single and finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs and four runs scored.

PCA fell behind 6-0 in the first inning Monday against Canton Academy, in what eventually became an 8-7 extra-inning loss. It made sure that didn’t happen again vs. Park Place.

After pitcher Kyle Guider retired the side in order in the top of the first, PCA batted around and scored five runs in the bottom half. Ray blasted his home run over the left center field fence for an early 3-0 lead, and Pittman and Yocum also had RBI singles during the rally.

PCA batted around again and scored four more runs in the second inning to go up 9-0. Glenn Alan Kittrell had an RBI double and Yocum an RBI single.

The Eagles tacked on three runs in the third and four in the fourth to finish it out.

“It was a whole lot different than yesterday. Yesterday we came out almost like we didn’t want to play,” PCA coach Wade Patrick said. “So it was good to see us get a quick 1-2-3, come in and score five, and give us a little breathing room.”