OCEAN SPRINGS— Pascagoula was able to hold off St. Martin to start league play with a 4-2 win Wednesday night in the Region 7-5A opener for both squads.
After two scoreless innings, Pascagoula struck first going up 3-0 in the top of the third inning. St. Martin answered back with a run of their own in the bottom of the third, making the score 3-1. Both teams added a run in the sixth inning to bring the score to 4-2.
Senior Brayden Scott recorded seven total strikeouts before being taken out in the bottom of the sixth inning. Fellow senior Angel Sollivan replaced him on the mound and retired four consecutive batters through the bottom of the sixth and seventh innings to secure the Panthers’ 4-2 win. The Yellow Jackets went through four different pitchers in the losing effort, allowing four runs on seven hits.
Scott also led the way offensively for Pascagoula with two hits, knocking a single and a double in his four plate appearances. Junior Griffin Wells also contributed with an RBI single. For St. Martin senior Parker Dobson’s double was their lone extra-base-hit of their four total hits.
The Panthers improve to 10-8 on the season while the Yellow Jackets fall to 4-14. Pascagoula and St. Martin will face off again Friday to continue district play. The contest, which was moved back a day due to inclement weather, was the first of three straight between the region rivals this week as the teams will meet at Ingalls Field in Pascagoula on Friday night and then back in St. Martin Saturday afternoon.
In other Region 7-6A action Wednesday night, D’Iberville and Ocean Springs got started a day later as well as the Warriors shut out the home-standing Greyhounds 2-0.
The game evolved into a pitcher’s duel between D’Iberville’s Eli Page and Southern Miss signee McCarty English of Ocean Springs through the first six stanzas as the game was scoreless heading into the top of the seventh.
D’Iberville senior Landon French, who had two hits in the winning effort, delivered a key RBI-Single that plated Dalton Davis in the top of the seventh to break the scoreless tie and put the Warriors up 1-0. D’Iberville added an insurance run on a fielding error by the Greyhounds that scored French.
Colby Wilson paced DHS at the plate with a trio of hits, including a double. Grant Russell’s double was the only extra-base hit for OSHS, as the Greyhounds managed just three hits in the game.
Page picked up the win, scattering the three hits over those six stanzas while striking out seven and walking five. Aiden Seymour came on to earn the save striking out the side in the bottom of the seventh.
English was the tough-luck loser as the Warriors started the winning rally off of him. He went six and 1/3 innings striking out 15 and walking just three and allowing just the one earned run.
The teams meet again Friday in D’Iberville before finishing out the thee game region opening series back in Ocean Springs on Saturday.
(228Sports supporter Jeremy Forehand contributed to this report)
