OCEAN SPRINGS – Ocean Springs held off Pascagoula 6-4 to get a win at home on Wednesday night in Region 7-6A play. The Greyhounds improve their league record to 4-1 and stretch their lead atop the standings a little more, while the Panthers fall to 1-3 in the region race.
Ocean Springs and Biloxi now sit atop their respective region races, after the Indians knocked off visiting Hancock 6-3 Tuesday night.
All four teams are back in action Thursday night, as Pascagoula hosts Ocean Springs in game three of that series and Biloxi travels to the Kiln for game two against the Hawks.
On Wednesday night in Ocean Springs, the Greyhounds got on the scoreboard first in the bottom of the second. Chris Fox’s RBI single brought in the first run and an error in the infield brought the Greyhounds’ lead to 2-0 before OSHS tacked on four two more runs to extend their lead to 4-0 in the bottom of the third on back-to-back RBI singles from sophomore Cannon Hensarling and senior Brock Cantrell.
In the top of the fourth, the Panthers cut the lead to 4-1 thanks to Freshman Willie Sims’s RBI single. The Greyhounds answered right back with an RBI double from Hensarling in the bottom of the fourth, extending the lead back to four at 5-1.
Pascagoula was able to draw four straight walks in the top of the fifth and score two runs, bringing the score to 5-3. But the Panthers missed out on an even bigger inning when Will Blevins relieved starter Cantrell on the hill for OSHS and coaxed Brayden Scott into hitting into a double play with the bases loaded and no outs to limit the damage.
Cantrell brought in a run on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth to give Ocean Springs a 6-4 lead going into the seventh inning.
In the top of the seventh inning, Maddox Moreland was brought in for Blevins to close on the mound for the Greyhounds. Angel Sollivan knocked an RBI double to bring the Panthers within two. With two runners on and the winning run at the plate, Moreland was able to secure the 6-4 victory for OSHS on a strikeout.
In the losing effort, Scott pitched a complete game recording eight strikeouts.
The Greyhounds had nine total hits with several key contributors offensively. Hensarling had three RBIs, a single, a double, and two walks in his four plate appearances. Cantrell had two RBIs on a single and a sacrifice fly. Fox went three-for-three, knocking three singles and recording an RBI.
Cantrell picked up the win and Moreland earned the save.
“I thought we competed well,” Ocean Springs head coach Tommy Walker said, “The one run in the [sixth] inning was huge. If you’re going to make a run at it, you have to win games like this. When things are not going all your way, you [have] to find a way to win.”
Meanwhile, at the Biloxi Sports Complex on Tuesday night, the home-standing Indians moved to 3-1 in Region 8-6A play with the 6-3 win over Hancock.
Ian Henry paced BHS at the plate with a team-high two hits, while Brodie Pearson recorded a run-scoring double in the inning effort and Robbie Hokamp added a double of his own. Judson Byars and Ja’Darius Hartley each drove in a run apiece for the Indians.
Max Garrett had a team-high two hits for Hancock, including a run-scoring double, while Tanner Ladner also added a double and Sean Ostheimer drove in a run as well.
Logan Fontenelle tossed a complete game four-hitter to pick up the win for Biloxi, striking out 11 and walking just one in the process. Ostheimer took the loss, allowing four runs in five frames of work.
