By Stan Caldwell/Sports Writer

HATTIESBURG — A team that wins at the level Resurrection Catholic has become accustomed to playing does not fold in clutch situations.

And the Eagles didn’t fold  this time either, holding off a furious Sacred Heart comeback for a 6-5 decision in a key clash in Region 8-1A Tuesday night at Larry Mixon Field. The victory clinched yet another region title and extended RCS’s region winning streak to 45.

Resurrection improved to 15-4 overall, 9-0 in region. The Crusaders (14-7, 6-3) will try one more time to snap that streak in the second game of the two-game series, scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at Pascagoula.

“They’re very special,” said Eagles coach Aron Frederic. “That’s one of our goals that we set out to do was to win the region championship, and we’ve been real fortunate to be able to do that over the years

“We’re really pleased that we’re leaving out of here with another win, another district win.”

RCS looks to be right on schedule for a third consecutive state championship in Class 1A.

“We’ve got some things to work on,” Frederic said. “Our pitching has done real well for us. We still have some things that we need to do better at on the offensive side. But we’ve been playing good defense behind our pitchers.

“Looking at everything, rolling into the playoffs, things are looking good for us right now.”

Sacred Heart looks to be locked into the No. 3 position in the 8-1A standings, but the Crusaders showed they could compete with the two-time defending state champs.

“I was proud of our guys for putting us in a position to win the game,” said Sacred Heart coach Larry Watkins. “They’re two-time defending state champion, No. 1 team in the state in 1A, they’re just really good.”

The Eagles jumped ahead early, banging out a run in the top of the first inning, off junior right-hander Kyron Murphy.

With one out, senior Trace Tingle doubled to the wall in right-centerfield, and senior Luke Schnoor brought the run home on an opposite-field single to right.

“We’re starting to come together, but we’re not close to where we want to be,” said Schnoor. “We should have handled this game better than we did. But it’s fun to be in these kinds of games, super close, coming down to the wire, the last out. We need those kinds of wins.”

RCS looked poised to add to its lead, when senior Hayden Porter reached on an error and a wild pitch put runners on second and third. But Murphy got back-to-back strikeouts to get out of the inning.

The left-handed Tingle had the Crusaders bothered at the plate in the early innings, blowing through the first four innings relatively easily. 

Sacred Heart did produce a run in the third inning, when junior Aiden Gibbs drew a leadoff walk. 

Junior Gary Duckworth, courtesy running for the Crusader catcher, beat a pickoff throw and reached third when the throw from first base went into the outfield. He scored on a wild pitch, but that was all they’d get as Tingle retired three straight batters to end the inning.

And by then, Resurrection was up 4-0. The Eagles made it 2-0 in the second on sophomore Justin San Miguel’s run-scoring double with two out. 

RCS added runs two more in the third after Schnoor led off with a single to left, stole second and scored on a bloop single by senior Michael Wayne Decoteau, which was preceded and followed by walks. 

With the bases loaded, junior Bryce Brown drew a walk to drive home the second run of the inning. However, with the bases still loaded, Murphy got an inning-ending strikeout to keep the Crusaders in the game.

Murphy was his own worst enemy in the top of the fifth after getting one out. A walk, a single to sophomore Phillip Lachaussee and a hit batter set the table for San Miguel’s two-run double to right-centerfield.

Sacred Heart finally got to Tingle in the fifth, as the lefty began tiring and lost some command. 

After walking the first two batters, Gibbs laid down a sacrifice bunt attempt that Tingle trying going to third with and ended up throwing the ball away, allowing a run to score. 

After junior Gabriel Pipkins singled to load the bases, Tingle got what he wanted with Murphy, a comebacker to the mound and an easy force at the plate.

But junior Khai Welch smoked the next pitch through the gap and all the way to the wall in left-centerfield for a two-run double.

“When we limit our errors, we’re a pretty good team,” Watkins said. “We still strikeout a little too much at the plate, but both of their arms looked really good. 

“I feel pretty good about where we’re at right now. We’ve had to battle through some injuries, but they’re a scrappy bunch. They play hard ”

Tingle got out of further trouble with a double play to second base to finish his night Now 5-0 for the season, Tingle allowed four runs (two earned), on just two hits, he struck out five and walked five, plus he hit a batter.

Porter came in from leftfield to pitch for Resurrection, and he mowed down the Crusaders in the bottom of the sixth on three strikeouts.

“You can’t say enough about Hayden,” said Schnoor. “He throws really hard. There’s nobody else we’d want out there with the game on the line. Trace is always going to be there, just solid, if we put up runs for him, there’s nobody who can beat us.”

Porter ran into trouble, however, in the seventh by hitting the first two batters in the inning. Duckworth, running again for Gibbs, beat a pickoff throw for the second time in the game, this one from second and he scored easily on Murphy’s single to left.

A successful double steal put runners on second and third, still with none out, had the Crusaders on the brink of a stunning comeback victory. 

Then an alert play by Lachaussee at second base turned what could have been a game-winning situation for Sacred Heart into an out at third base, when a throw to the plate froze Pipkins trying to score from third.

Sacred Heart loaded the bases again on an infield single with two outs by junior Darren Brown, but Porter nailed down the save with a strikeout to leave the bases loaded.

“We’re glad to be able to stay in first place,” said Frederic. “You win, you stay in first place. 

“Sacred Heart has a good ball club. We’re glad we’re walking out of here with a win tonight. Can’t say enough about our guys in that last inning, of battling through some adversity, with bases loaded and nobody out.” 

Murphy (4-2) finished the game strong, retiring the Eagles in order both in the sixth and seventh innings. He scattered eight hits, struck out four and walked four and he had two hit batters.