By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

OCEAN SPRINGS — The Harrison Central baseball team started the season off by playing 13 straight games away from home.
And yet, the Red Rebels waited until Tuesday night in game number 20 of the season to notch their biggest road win of the current campaign.
Harrison Central rolled into Ocean Springs and handed the home-standing Greyhounds their first Region 4-7A loss of the season with a 5-3 decision. The win moved the Red Rebels closer to the top of the region race at 5-2, while the loss dropped the Greyhounds into a first-place tie with Gulfport at 6-1 with eight games left in the chase.

“Anytime you go on the road and go toe to toe with a great team who is coached down to the smallest detail, it’s a tremendous accomplishment to come away with a win.” HCHS head coach Neil Frederic said. “It was a great environment. We knew it would be a great series and it’s just one game but proud of our team.”

Harrison Central stands 10-10 overall, and Ocean Springs is 10-7.
The Red Rebels jumped out to a 4-0 lead and never trailed in the game. Harrison Central got two runs in the second stanza on an RBI-ground out by Tre Hanshaw and a run-scoring fielders choice from Zach Dorley.
The Red Rebels then doubled that advantage up to 4-0 in the fourth frame when Jaxon More plated a run on a sacrifice fly and Jaden Cooper drove in a run on an RBI bunt single.
Ocean Springs, in an attempt to hold on to first place, battled back with all three of its runs in the bottom of the fourth, on two-run double from Cannon Hensarling to cut the deficit back to two at 4-2 and an RBI-single by Kristian Dillard that made things 4-3.
But that would be as close as the Greyhounds could get, as HCHS added an insurance run on an RBI-double by Dorley in the top of the sixth to complete the upset win.

“We took advantage of a few miscues, tried to play our brand of baseball and was great to get a quality start out of our guy Tri Gaughf,” Frederic added. “All we can control is today and know the Greyhounds are chomping at the bit for game two. I know Coach Long will have them ready to roll in Gulfport. We look forward to the challenge and a tremendous showdown that means so much to our season and our goals.

Gaughf, who doubles as the Red Rebel starting quarterback in the Fall, went the distance on the mound in picking up the complete game win striking out eight and walking three while scattering seven hits.
Dorley led HCHS at the plate with two hits and two RBIs, including that double.
Ocean Springs got seven hits from separate different batters, including that two-run double from Hensarling.
Jack Jordan started and worked the first six stanzas and suffered the loss for OSHS, as he allowed six hits and all five runs and struck out five.
The teams are slated to meet again in Lyman on Friday night in game two of the three game series.