By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

BILOXI — Biloxi retained the “Tomahawk Cup” Friday night.

The Indians rallied for two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to pull out an exciting 5-4 win in extra innings in second day action at the annual “Battle of the Beach” here at Keesler Federal Park.

Biloxi wrestled away the “Cup” from the Warriors last season 6-3 in the same venue in the same event.

The win moves the Indians to 4-4 overall, and it marked the third straight win in less than a week for third-year head coach Hawtin Buchanan’s crew after they started the new season off at 1-4.

D’Iberville dropped to 3-6 with the loss.

“I’m just really proud of the toughness and grit our guys showed tonight,” Buchanan said. “Even late in the game with our backs up against the wall they continued to fight and compete, and it’s a huge testament to our seniors and their leadership for us to keep fighting as a team until the very last pitch.”

Biloxi trailed 3-2 entering the bottom of the seventh, and was on the verge of dropping this one to DHS before a two-out rally resulted in an RBI-double from Adam Rugg that knotted things up at 3-3 and sent the game into the extra session. Rugg’s hit scored Wyatt Pyron, who began the late game heroics with a double.

In the top of the eighth, D’Iberville’s Ayden Demoran drew a bases loaded walk to put the Warriors back up by one at 4-3. However, he was the only one to respond for DHS after the Warriors got two on with no outs to open the frame.

Once again trailing by a run in a do-or-die situation, the Indians again answered the call loading the bases with no outs. Gage Dalferes, also drew a one-out walk to again tie the contest up at 4-4, before Pyron ended things with a sharp single up the middle to centerfield to make it 5-4.

Both teams scored a run in the first frame, as D’Iberville’s Cannon Wilson registered a run-scoring single and Biloxi countered with a run in its first at bat when the Warriors misplayed a ground ball off the bat of Indian Jackson Irvin to tie things up.

Biloxi took a 2-1 advantage in the second stanza, thanks to an RBI-sacrifice fly from Tristain Haynes.

But the Warriors responded with two runs in the top of the fifth on a two-run single from Carter Naron to take that aforementioned 3-2 lead and set the stage for the climactic late inning events.

Rugg collected a team-high three hits in the winning seven hit attack for BHS.

Brody Ngyuen tossed three frames of relief to pick up the pitching win after he replaced starter Bryk Bucklar.

Ayden Toncrey, one of three DHS hurlers, took the loss.

D’Iberville managed eight hits in the close loss, with Naron registering three hits and driving in a pair of runs while Wilson ended up with two hits as well.

Biloxi hosts Hernando Monday night while DHS hosts Mooreville on Tuesday night as both teams continue play in the BATB.