By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

LUCEDALE — Either George County will play in the state championship for the first time in six years or Pearl River Central will do so for the first time in seven years.

Those details will be sorted out Monday night in Carriere, after the Rebels forced a third and deciding game in the Class 6A South State championship series with a 4-3 win over the Blue Devils Saturday night here at Claude Passeau Field.

The decision came on the heels of a 4-0 home win for the Blue Devils in the series opener Friday night, and forces a winner take all contest Monday night with a trip to the overall Class 6A state championship on the line.

It marked the second consecutive week that the Rebels faced an elimination game but bounced back with an all-important win.

“We have had to win since the Picayune (regular season) series every game and this team seems to thrive on that scenario,” George County veteran head coach Brandon Davis said. “Two really good high school teams fighting for a chance to get to state. Game three is going to be a good one.”

Also for the second straight Saturday night, Rebel hurlers Preston McAdory and Cannon Reeves came through in the clutch to keep George County’s season alive.

Against PRC in game two, McAdory worked six solid stanzas striking out six and allowing five hits and two runs in picking up the win. Reeves came on to earn a save despite allowing a run in his one inning of work.

George County broke open a 1-1 tie with a two run third frame and then added what turned out to be a much-needed insurance run in the next inning to take a lead it would never relinquish.

Ben Davis supplied an RBI-single to put the Rebels up 2-1 and then he came around to score three batters later on a run-scoring sacrifice fly by Cayler Havard.

 The Rebels then loaded the bases with two outs in their next at bat and Gage Reeves took a pitch to his body to drive in a run and make it 4-1.

The game was knotted up at 1-1 entering the bottom of the third thanks to an RBI-single by Havard in the bottom of the first for CGHS as well as a run-scoring sacrifice fly by Kendall Morrison for PRC in the top of the third frame.

After the Rebels took their three run advantage, the Blue Devils cut into the deficit slowly with a single run in the top of the sixth on Jacob Johnson’s RBI-single and a solo home run by Blake Gill to open the top of the seventh before Reeves closed the door.

“McAdory threw very well and we offensively did what we needed to win,” Davis added.

Reeves had a triple for the only extra base hit as the Rebels got seven hits from seven different players in the winning attack.

The Blue Devils also managed seven hits in the loss, with Gill and Isaias Ryan posting two hits apiece.

Roman Mitchell started and got knocked around in just less than four frames of work for PRC to take the loss. He was relieved by Landon Lamartina who held the Rebels scoreless the rest of the way.