By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

GULFPORT — Home-standing Gulfport followed the solid mound work from starting pitcher Taevion Collier to a close 3-1 win over Pascagoula Saturday afternoon.

The game came in third day play at the annual “Battle at the Beach” at Hebert Wilson Park. The Admirals moved above the .500 level to 5-4 with the decision, while the Panthers dropped to 3-6 overall.

“He was extremely competitive, we needed a big outing out of him and he provided it,” first-year GHS head coach Justin Edwards said of Collier.

Gulfport took a 1-0 lead that it would never relinquish in the bottom of the second stanza thanks in part to a double by Tolar Raybourn that loaded the bases up with two outs. Mason Little then drew a bases-loaded walk to put GHS up for good.

The Admirals doubled that advantage two innings later when Little smacked an RBI-single again with the bases loaded to make it 2-0.

Pascagoula plated its only run in the top of the fifth frame to slice the deficit back to a single run at 2-1 on Jose Ocasio’s run-scoring single.

But Gulfport responded with an RBI-single from Raybourn in the bottom of the sixth to close out the scoring at 3-1 and seal the win.

Collier hurled just over six innings in picking up the win, as he scattered six hits, struck out six and walked four. Trevor Stennis came on in the seventh to record the last two outs and earn a save.

Raybourn had a game-high half of the six total hits for the Admirals in the winning attack, including a pair of doubles.

Both Ocasio and Willie Sims had two hits each for PHS, while Keelan Harper recorded a double.

Johan Baez started and took the loss for PHS.