By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

OCEAN SPRINGS — Harrison Central reshaped the landscape in Region 4-7A and it took just five days.
The Red Rebels beat league-leading Ocean Springs for the second time in three games Saturday afternoon, shutting out the Greyhounds 2-0 behind a complete game three hitter from Jaxson Moore.
That decision, combined with a 5-3 HCHS win on Tuesday in the series opener, not only handed OSHS its first two losses in the region race but vaulted the Red Rebels into a second place tie with Gulfport in the league standings both just one game off the lead.

“Entering the rubber match, I was really intrigued on what mindset we would have after being embarrassed on Friday night,” HCHS head coach Neil Frederic said. “We got them there early and arrived early to get the day going and flush the day before. I knew we would have a tough task on the road against (Cannon) Hensarling and a hard nosed team that is a reflection of their head coach. We stuck to our approach at the plate to grind some at bats and Jaxson Moore brought his best outing of the year.”
The rubber match on Saturday quickly turned into a pitcher’s duel through the first five frames, as Moore and Greyhound starter Cannon Hensarling traded scoreless innings repeatedly. But the Red Rebels managed to break through in the sixth stanza.
Trenton Bond led the decisive inning off with a single, but he was cut down at second base when Gabe Colon reached on a fielder’s choice. Jaden Taylor followed that up with a single of his own that moved Colon to second, and Tri Gaughf then delivered the first run of the game when his RBI-single to left field scored Colon.
Two batters later, Tre Hanshaw drove Taylor in with a run-scoring single to make it 2-0 and complete the scoring.

Meanwhile, Moore was still dealing zeroes all across the board at the Greyhounds as he went the distance allowing just three singles and striking out eight while walking none in his best outing of the season. The Greyhounds got two base runners on in the same inning just once, in the bottom of the fifth, but Moore responded with back-to-back strike outs to end the threat.

“It was a pitchers dual between Moore and Hensarling,” Frederic added. “They were both good today. Moore had had three pitches and was able to throw a complete game. I’m proud of his mental focus and his passion as our team grinded it out for the big win.”
Harrison Central managed just five hits as well, also all singles, with Gaughf’s and Hanshaw’s timely deliveries the key ones.
Hensarling took the loss on the hill for OSHS.
It marked the second straight solid mound outing on the road for the Red Rebels, after 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 Tuesday night.

Gaughf, who doubles as the Red Rebel starting quarterback in the Fall, went the distance on the mound in that one picking up the complete game win striking out eight and walking three while scattering seven hits.
The Greyhounds did bounce back to pull out an impressive 16-4 win on Friday night in Lyman in game two of the series, thanks to a big night at the plate from Maddox Moreland and Michael Diaz.
Moreland had two hits and drove in a game-high five runs in the contest, while Diaz had a co game-high three hits including a pairr of doubles and drove in four runs in the winning effort. A.J. Arguello also had three hits for the Greyhounds, and Kristian Dillard added a run-scoring triple.
Kanyen Beard and Bond each had a double apiece for HCHS.
Will Blevins picked up the win, while Bond took the loss.
The Greyhounds now sit at 7-2, and retain the top spot in the region race thanks to St. Martin which handed Gulfport losses on Friday night and Saturday afternoon. That leaves the Admirals and Red Rebels tied for the second spot at 6-3, with Biloxi in the all-important fourth slot at 4-5 and SMHS at 3-6. D’Iberville sits in the cellar at 1-8.