By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

CARRIERE — Pascagoula came into the Class 6A South State playoffs Friday night looking for its first postseason win in four years.

The Panthers are still looking.

A disastrous sixth inning on the road here turned a 2-1 Pascagoula lead into a 7-2 Pearl River Central advantage and the home-standing Blue Devils escaped with the five run win in game one of the series.

The two teams face off in Pascagoula on Saturday night in game two.

Panther pitcher Ra’Shard Earnest seemed to be in complete control as he cruised into the bottom of the sixth with that aforementioned 2-1 lead thanks to a pair of RBI-singles from Sebastian Ford.

Earnest allowed only three hits while striking out six and walking just one heading into that decisive stanza, in which he recorded a quick out to start and then issued a walk.

But that’s when things began to fall apart.

Talan Cipriano laid down a sacrifice bunt and was safe on a close play for PRC, and Pascagoula head coach Colton Caver decided to replace Earnest at that point.

Panther reliever Sean Norvell, who had been proficient in that role recently, hit the first batter he faced to load the bases and Parker Harper followed with an RBI-single to tie the game up at 2-2 and Cipriano scored on an errant throw on the same play to put PRC up 3-2.

After a run scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-2, Luke Herring sacrificed a run in to make it 5-2. Kendall Morrison and Blake Gill each followed with an RBI-single apiece to complete the scoring.

Gill, who had an RBI-double in the first for the initial PRC run, had two hits and drove in two runs to pace PRC at the plate. J.J. Morreale collected a pair of doubles for the Blue Devils.

Ayden Radosta turned in an impressive pitching performance for PRC as well, tossing six stanzas to pick up the win while striking out five, walking none and scattering five singles.

Ford had those two hits and two RBIs to pace the Panthers.

Earnest ended up taking the tough luck loss.