By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

LUCEDALE — Defending Class 6A state champion George County stumbled a bit to open the season this year.

After all, the Rebels, who returned six starters from last season, were just just 5-7 overall entering the week and had lost five of their past six games.

But, when the lights came on for Region 4-6A action, the Rebels responded in fine fashion.

Home-standing George County finished off a three game sweep of West Harrison in the league-opening series for both squads Saturday afternoon with an exciting 7-6 win in eight innings here at Claude Passeau Field.

The Rebels, who won 10-0 at home on Tuesday and 15-0 on the road Friday, trailed in the finale 6-3 entering the bottom of the seventh stanza before rallying for three runs to tie things up and send the game into the extra session and then adding one more in the eighth to pull out the win.

“We survived,” veteran GCHS head coach Brandon Davis said. “Our guys responded after falling behind and that’s what good teams are supposed to do. We didn’t panic and stayed with our approach. This is a good region and all of the teams are well-coached.”

In the seventh, Tripp Lightsey had an RBI-single and Cayler Havard followed with a run-scoring single of his own to make it 6-5. Brodie Ceechi’s RBI-sacrifice fly plated Lightsey to tie the game up.

Affer GCHS ace relief pitcher Canyon Reeves set the Hurricanes down in order in the top of the eighth, George County loaded the bases with no outs before Lightsey ended the proceedings with a walk-off RBI-single.

Early in the game, West Harrison looked as if it was intent on finally getting a win in the series as the Hurricanes tallied four runs in the first frame to take a 4-0 lead.

Ceechi’s three run home run in the bottom of the third made it 4-3.

The Hurricanes added solo runs in the fifth and sixth innings to go up 6-3 and set the stage for the climactic ending.

Ceechi had the game-high four RBIS to pace GCHS offensively, while Lightsey’s three hits and two key runs batted in were big as well. Davis added two hits to the winning effort.

Carlos Pena had two hits, including a double. and drove in two runs for West Harrison, while Tyler Gazzier also had two hits.

Reeves picked up the pitching win with just over four solid frames of relief work, striking out four and scattering three hits.

Ryan Seymour went the distance for the Hurricanes to take the tough luck loss.

George County is now 8-7 overall and West Harrison is 8-8.