By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

Vancleave head baseball coach Justin Edwards reached a career milestone on Saturday afternoon.

Edwards, in his sixth season at the helm of the Bulldogs, picked up his 100th career win at VHS in a 6-3 win over visiting Hancock at “The Landing.”

Edwards took over the Bulldog program after the 2018 state championship season ended, when Daniel Best left VHS for the top spot at Brandon High School after guiding the Bulldogs to a 29-7 record and the 2018 Class 4A state title.

All Edwards, who came to Vancleave from Gulfport High after serving six seasons as an assistant coach under Jamie McMahon, has done is average right at 20 wins a game during his tenure and led the Bulldogs to four state playoff appearances in five seasons. The only year VHS did not make the playoffs was when the season was cut short in 2020 due to COVID.

On Saturday, Bulldog senior Hunter Parker made sure that his head coach got that historic win just before Vancleave begins Region 4-5A play this week as he tallied a game-high three hits and drove in a run while Asher Henley drove in a pair of runs in the winning effort as well. Aidan Tapp had two hits for VHS also.

Tanner West picked up the win on the mound.

Jaxson Knight led the Hawks at the plate with a pair of hits, including a double, and he drove in a game-high three RBIs. Brandon Arcement started took the loss for HHS.

Vancleave begins Region 4-5A play against an old familiar foe Tuesday night, as arch-rival and two-time defending Class 5A state champion East Central comes calling. Hancock meets Long Beach Tuesday to open Region 4-6Aa play as well.

Rebels roll by Fighting Irish

In Biloxi on Saturday afternoon, George County continued its late-inning magic from Friday night by overcoming a brief 3-2 St. Patrick advantage with eight runs total over the fifth and sixth stanzas to pull out a 10-3 road win.

The Rebels rallied for a quartet of runs in the top of the fifth and the top of the sixth after the Fighting Irish had taken the lead with a trio of runs in the bottom of the fourth. 

Gage Reeves had a run-scoring double in the decisive fourth frame for GCHS to tie things up at 3-3, and then the big blow came off the bat of Tripp Lightsey who smashed a three-run home run to left field two batters later to give the Rebels a 6-3 lead that they would never relinquish.

Reeves then sealed the deal with a three-run round-tripper of his own in the next frame.

Reeves posted that pair of hits and collected a game-high five RBIs in the winning effort, while Ben Davis chipped in a pair of hits and drove in a pair of runs as well. Alex Wade had two hits for the Rebels also.

Carson Pierce, one of five Rebels pitchers, picked up the win on the mound.

Chaz Byars recorded a game-high three hits for St. Patrick, including a run-scoring double, while Cohen Weinhofer added an RBI-scoring triple for the Fighting Irish.

St. Patrick used four pitchers in the game as well, and Cooper Mercier took the loss.

George County was coming off a thrilling 6-4 walk-off win on Friday over visiting Briarcrest Christian from Eads, Tenn., as the Rebels were one of the only teams to actually avoid the rain and get their game in their final action in the annual Battle of the Beach.

George County trailed by two runs, at 4-2, entering its final at bat before Gage Reeves cut the deficit to one with an RBI-single setting up the final at bat of the game by Andrew Nielsen.

The senior Nielsen strolled to the plate in the bottom of the seventh with one out and two teammates on base and calmly swatted a deep shot to right field for the walk-off, game-winning blast that sent Rebel Nation into a celebration with a 6-4 win.

George County begins Region 4-6A play against West Harrison Tuesday night.

Hurricanes in BATB

And speaking of the Hurricanes and the BATB, they dropped a trio of games in the ninth annual affair last week including a 3-1 decision to Germantown Thursday night to close of their portion of the event.

Landen Wallace and Dezi Curley each had two hits apiece in the loss for WHHS, and Wallace drove in the lone Hurricane run.

Hunter Ross went the distance and took the loss on the hill, scattering five hits, striking out seven and walking three in the process.