By SAM STAFF/Sports Writer

VANCLEAVE — Vancleave faced Pascagoula for the second straight day on Thursday night.
Thankfully, for the Bulldogs, a change of scenery proved to be a big difference.
After falling on the road to the Panthers Wednesday night 8-7 in eight innings, Vancleave picked up a close one run win in extra innings of its own slipping past the visiting Panthers 2-1 at “The Landing” also in eight frames in the return match Thursday night. The Bulldogs moved back above the .500 mark with the win at 5-4 overall, while PHS dropped to that even level at 4-4 with the loss.
Vancleave trailed 1-0 entering its final at bat in regulation, but managed to push across a solo run in the seventh to force extra innings and then added the game-winning run in the eighth.

Layton Eder drove home the winning run with a walk-off RBI-sacrifice fly for VHS that scored pinch runner Jaxon Albert. Albert was running for Asher Henley, who got the inning off to a good start with a walk.
For the most part, the game was a pitching duel between the two opposing starters in Pascagoula’s Griffin Wells and Vancleave’s Tyler West.
Both hurlers went a solid seven stanzas, but neither was involved in the final decision. West allowed just one hit while striking out 12 and walking just one. Wells scattered four hits, struck out six and walked two.
The game was scoreless through four frames, and the only hit West allowed came on a run-scoring double to centerfield by Sean Norvell in the fifth.

Meanwhile, Wells sailed into the seventh stanza with his shoutout still intact, before Hunter Harper doubled to lead off the inning. West then moved pinch runner Kyle Capers over with a sacrifice bunt, and Aidan Tapp followed that with a run-scoring sacrifice fly to right field setting the state for the climactic eighth frame.
Tapp also picked up the win, as he relieved West in the top of the eighth and worked around a single by J.J. Trinidad to retire the side.
Adrian Rosado was the tough-luck loser.
Robert Tinson had a game-high two hits for VHS.
Next up for the Panthers is their first action in the annual Battle at the Beach as they head to Biloxi Saturday night to face Houston Christian at MGM Park Saturday night.
Vancleave is slated to remain at home and host St. Patrick Saturday afternoon.