By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

LONG BEACH — On Good Friday, Long Beach completed one of the biggest single season resurrections in South Mississippi in quite some time on the baseball diamond.

The Bearcats bounced visiting Picayune 7-1 in a key Region 4-7A encounter to claim the second seed in the region race and the accompanying home-field advantage in the opening round of the Class 6A South State playoffs.

The decision gave LBHS the series two games to one in what amounted to a battle for that second seed. Picayune is the third seed.

Long Beach finished last season at 1-23 overall. The Bearcats head into the first round of the playoffs at 16-12 this year.  

On Friday, in the decisive rubber match with the Maroon Tide, Long Beach wasted no time in jumping out to a quick 4-0 lead it would never relinquish in the first frame and never looked back.

The Maroon Tide committed three errors in the fateful frame, and the Bearcats also drew three walks in the inning and scored on a wild pitch and two of those Picayune miscues.

Long Beach managed just three hits in the win, but took timely advantage of those opportunities afforded them. Dax Arkin and Aiden Downey each had an RBI-single for the Bearcats.

Walker Cooke started and tossed two-hit ball for six full stanzas to earn the win.

Turner Pugh had two hits for Picayune. Parker Helton took the loss.

On Thursday night, Picayune got a complete game performance from Colt Robertson on the hill to take a 5-1 home win.

Robertson struck out nine and allowed four hits. At the plate for Picayune, Cooper Moreaux collected three hits, including a double, and he drove in a game-high three runs while Justin Stockstill also tallied three hits and Pugh had two hits.

Wayne Ulrich also went the distance on the hill for LBHS to take the loss.