By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

WIGGINS — So much for a slow start.

East Central bounced back from a win-less start in week one of Region 4-6A play with a perfect week two, finishing off a three games in four day sweep of Stone Friday night with a close 4-3 road win here Friday night.

The trio of wins even the Hornets up at the region race at 3-3 and ECHS is now 10-11 overall. The Tomcats, who dropped two of three games to Wayne County to open league play last week, fall to 1-5 in the region race and are now 5-13 overall.

“We played solid baseball all three games,” veteran ECHS head coach Bo Long said. “We put together all aspects of the game for a whole series. It was as big for us mentally as it was for our record. We only made two errors over the three games, and they were on tough plays.They know what we have to do to have a chance. We kick it like we did last week, and we won’t beat anyone, especially not a team the way Vancleave is playing right now.”

Friday night, but teams put up a three spot apiece in the third frame before East Central scored the decisive run in the top of the fifth with two outs on a fly ball off of the bat of Anthony Tanner that the Tomcat outfield misplayed into an error that played Jaxson Cripps.

The Hornets opened the scoring when Tanner singled and scored followed by RBI-singles from Gage Damazio and Blake Hayes to make it 3-0.

Stone struck back, though, thanks in part to a run-scoring double by Kellan Burge and an RBI-ground out by Braxton Jones. Jhase Jackson, who reached on a fielder’s choice bunt, came around to score on a passed ball as well setting the stage for the close ending.

“They don’t need a wake up call,” Long said, about the Vancleave series. “They know what winning baseball games takes. God bless them, they been playing hard but finding ways to lose instead of win.”

Matthew Combs had two hits to lead ECHS, including a double, while Tanner had two hits as well.

Burge had two hits for the Tomcats.

Christian McFaul tossed the first four frames for the Hornets to pick up the win and Tanner earned a save by finishing off the final three innings.

Jones took the loss for SHS with just over four stanzas of work.