By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

OCEAN SPRINGS — After capturing the first-ever Region 4-7A title to end the regular season, Ocean Springs hoped to carry that momentum over into the inaugural Class 7A South State playoffs as well.

But perennial state power Petal had other ideas.

The visiting Panthers roared into Ocean Springs and snapped up a 5-2 win over the Greyhounds to open the postseason Friday night. The Panthers return home with a 1-0 lead in the best of three series, and can wrap up the affair with another win on Saturday night.

“All the credit to them,” OSHS first-year head coach Ryne Long said. “They pitched and played lights ut on defense. We didn’t. We left a couple opportunities out there and didn’t play clean defensively and this time of year that’ll get you beat. Offensively they grinded out at bats and took advantage of every opportunity they had.”

Ocean Springs was rolling along behind ace junior pitcher Jack Jordan with a 2-0 lead after five frames. However, Petal erupted for four runs in the top of the sixth stanza, to take the lead for good.

The Greyhounds jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead in the first inning, as Maddox Moreland cracked a run-scoring double to plate Landon Sinopli with two outs.

That advantage doubled to 2-0 in the fourth frame, when Grant Russell singled on a hard ground ball to left field and Labaron Brumfield came around to score.

But that would be it for the Greyhounds, and unfortunately for them the Panthers were just about to get started.

After five shutout innings of work, Petal finally got to Jordan in the top of the sixth with three hits and a key Greyhound error to take the lead it would never relinquish.

The key blow for the Panthers was a two-run double by Fisher Howell that erased the lead by the home team and put Petal up 3-2.

The Panthers added an insurance run in the top of the seventh to complete the scoring and head home with the important series-opening win.

Petal pitcher Jayden Madison went the distance and allowed OSHS only four hits in the game. He struck out six and walked just one in earning the win.

Moreland had the only extra base hit for the Greyhounds.

 Dylan Dykes, who drove in the final run, had a game-high two hits for Petal including a double to go along with Howell’s key two-bagger.

Jordan also tossed a complete game and suffered the loss, giving up eight hits, three earned runs and striking out seven 

Petal hasn’t won a state championship since 2011, but is a consistent force on the diamond year after year. The Panthers, who won back-to-back Class 6A state titles in 2011 and 2010, finished this season as the fourth seed in Region 3-7A.

Game two is set for Saturday night at 7 p.m., in Petal as Ocean Springs attempts to keep its season alive.