By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

George County remained a step off the first place pace of Picayune and Hancock Tuesday night in Region 4-6A play.
The Rebels moved to 3-1 in league play with a comfortable 10-0 win over visiting Long Beach in just five innings at Claude Passeau Field. The win moved GCHS to 3-1 in the region race, and kept them just a game behind the first place Maroon Tide who sit 4-0 and the Hawks who are 4-0 as well.
George County and Picayune are on a crash course towards a three game region series next week which begins on Tuesday.

This week on Tuesday, the Rebels jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead after two innings and then ended the game early with a seven spot in the bottom of the fourth.
Tripp Lightsey had a two run home run for the Rebels while Cayler Havard added a three-run double. Alex Wade and Gage Reeves had a pair of hits apiece for GCHS in the winning effort and Reeves and Garrett Dixon drove in a pair of runs apiece also. Reeves and Blaine Green posted doubles.
Colin Lyons and Landon Moreaux each had a double for the Bearcats.
Andrew Neilsen went the shortened distance to pick up the win for GCHS. Wayne Ulrich took the loss. Long Beach dropped to 0-4 in the region race.
The two teams meet again Thursday night in Long Beach and once again Friday night back in Lucedale.

Elsewhere in Region 4-6A play Tuesday night, home-standing Hancock slipped past Pascagoula 3-2.
The Hawks broke a 1-1 tie with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth frame, as Jaxon Knight drove home a run with a double and a run scored on a Panther miscue.

The Panthers countered with a run of their own in the top of the sixth stanza when Griffin Wells scored on a double steal. But that would be as close as they would get, as Hancock starting pitcher Matthew Cuevas went the distance and scattered just three hits while striking out eight to earn the win.

Wells smacked a solo home run in the top of the fourth to give PHS a brief 1-0 lead. The home team bounced back to tie things up in the bottom of the frame on a Hunter Kuhn RBI-single.
Knight, Kuhn and Jude Ulrich each had a pair of hits a piece to lead the Hawks at the plate, with both of Knight’s hits being doubles as was one of Ulrich’s.
Terry Lee, one of three Panther pitchers, took the loss.
Wells had two of the three Panther hits. Pascagoula sits in the cellar in the region race at 0-4 along with Long Beach.

The two teams face off again in Pascagoula Thursday night.
Picayune hosts West Harrison Thursday night. The Maroon Tide moved to 4-0 with a 7-3 nine inning win Monday night.