By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

OCEAN SPRINGS — Both Gulfport and Ocean Springs have played 14 region games on the baseball diamond this season which is by far the most ever in school history for either program.

Still, though, one more contest will be needed to decide the first-ever Region 4-7A championship.

The visiting Admirals stormed into Ocean Springs and knocked off the Greyhounds 7-2 Friday night to stay alive in the region race for the top seed in the loop. Now, both teams head back to Herbert Wilson Field in Gulfport on Saturday afternoon to decide who will finish atop the league standings in the final game of the regular season as the upcoming Class 7A South State playoffs loom on the horizon.

Ocean Springs sits at 11-3 in the region race, while Gulfport is now 10-4. First pitch for Saturday is slated for 1 p.m.

“Great job tonight by Joel Smith on the mound keeping them at bay,” Admirals veteran skipper Jamie McMahon said. “We got a couple of breaks and were able to push some runs across. Saturday should be a good one, with the division championship on the line.”

Smith, a senior, stepped up big on the mound for GHS as he worked almost six stanzas of one run ball while striking out seven and allowing five hits while walking six to pick up the pitching win.

His teammates wasted no time in giving him all the support he would need by scoring three runs to take a lead they would never relinquish in their first at bat.

Ethan Garner singled to lead the game off and Prince Cottonham followed that with a walk. Ethan Surowiec’s RBI-single made it 1-0, and three batters later Smith brought home a run when he was plunked by a pitch with the bases loaded. Surowiec scored on a passed ball to make it 3-0 before he first frame was over.

Any hopes the Greyhounds had of a big comeback to clinch the region title were quickly dashed in the third frame, when Gulfport added four more runs to basically decide things. 

Nico Williams provided a run-scoring triple, and Smith helped himself again with an RBI-single to make it 5-0. The Greyhounds then kicked the ball around a couple of times after that to hand Gulfport two more runs and fall behind 7-0 to seal the deal.

In addition to the win on the hill, Smith had a game-high three hits and a game-high two RBIs as well in the winning effort. Surowiec added two hits, including a double, for GHS and Williams had the triple.

Wesley Hyde took over for Smith and finished up by recording the final four outs.

Cannon Hensarling had two hits for OSHS.

Will Blevins started and took the loss on the mound for the Greyhounds.