By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

HURLEY — Stone stretched East Central’s slump some on Saturday.
The Tomcats invaded Jackson County for the second time in five days and escaped with a win over the back-to-back and defending Class 5A state champions with a close 3-2 outcome in Region 4-5A play on the day before Easter.
The decision, coupled with a win by the same score in Wiggins Friday night, moved a surprising Stone squad to the top of the league standings as the Tomcats remained perfect in the region race at 6-0. It also marked the fifth straight league loss for the Hornets, who now stand 1-5 in the region race after the three game sweep by Stone. The Tomcats started the series with a big 13-2 road win Tuesday night.

East Central lost as many region games this week to Stone as it has in the past four seasons total. The current Hornet record also marks the most league losses in a season so far in a campaign in a decade, since 2014 when they finished 5-4.

On Saturday, the game was knotted up at 2-2 entering the top of the sixth stanza when Conner Tice led off with a single for the Tomcats. Jhase Jackson ten sacrificed him over the second base, and Tice scored what proved to be the game-winning run a couple of pitches later on a passed ball.

Jaxon Cripps gave the Hornets a quick lead in the bottom of the first with a lead-off solo home run.

Kellen Burge’s two-run single put the Tomcats ahead in the top of the fourth 2-1. But East Central tied things up on a Nate Trochessett RBI-single in the bottom of the fifth frame, setting up the decisive sixth stanza.

Tice and Daylan Collins led Stone with two hits apiece in the win.

Anthony Tanner had a double for East Central.

Braxton Jones started on the hill for the Tomcats and worked four frames. Willie Breland picked up the win with just over two innings of scoreless relief.

Peyton Youngblood took the loss for the Hornets.
On Friday night, the Hornets took an early 1-0 lead on a balk that scored Pacey Baria.
But Stone countered immediately when K.J. Galloway scored on a fly ball off the bat of Willie Breland that was misplayed by the Hornets to make it 1-1.
However, ECHS returned serve in the third frame when Nate Trochessett drove in a run on a sacrifice fly to make it 2-1.

But the Tomcats turned the momentum in the fourth with two runs to take the lead for good on an RBI-single by Breland and a run-scoring single by Hunter Parker that ended the scoring.
Braxton Jones had two hits to pace the Tomcats at the plate.
Conner Tice started on the mound and threw just over five frames to take the win, striking out seven and walking six, while Parker relieved with one out in the sixth and finished up allowing no hits and earning a save.

Fisher Strickler started and took the loss for ECHS with four innings of work.
Anthony Tanner and Payton McLean had two hits apiece for the Hornets.
East Central faces Gautier next week in a three game Region 4-5A series while Stone hopes to play three league games against a hapless Laurel squad.