By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

BILOXI — As defending Class 5A state champion Vancleave entered its portion of playing and hosting action in the annual “Battle at the Beach”, the Bulldogs are coming off of a bounce back win.

Visiting Vancleave slipped past St. Patrick 5-3 Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs moved to 7-3 with the win, while the Fighting Irish fell to -8-3.

Vancleave took a 3-0 lead it would never relinquish with a trio of runs in the top of the third frame in a quite inauspicious manner, as two runs scored on SPHS errors before Hunter Harper drove in a run with an RBI-sacrifice fly.

The Bulldogs made it 4-0 scoring on a passed ball in the fourth inning. Vancleave’s Max Bates belted an RBI-double for the final run of the game for VHS in the six stanza.

Thanks to the long ball, St. Patrick plated a solo run in each of the fifth, sixth and seventh innings. Jason Moran and Alden Williams each launched a solo home run apiece, and Ayden Le drove in a run on a ground out.

Tony Craven, one of three VHS pitchers, worked just over four frames to pick up the win.

Both Bates and Harper had a pair of hits apiece, including a double, for the Bulldogs in the win.

Gunnner Eure had two hits for the Fighting Irish.

Street Kaigler was the losing pitcher.

Vancleave hosts Starkville Monday night at 7:30 p.m., to begin play in the BATB.

The Bulldogs were coming off of a 4-2 loss to Pascagoula on the road Friday night.

In that game, Owen Estroso had a key two-run single for the Panthers, while Sebastian Ford added an RBI-single to the winning effort.

Martin Shaw registered a run-scoring single for VHS.

Ra”shard Earnest went the complete game distance to earn the win for PHS, as he struck out three.

Dane McElroy took the loss.