By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

PEARL — Coming into game one of the Class 6A state championship series, Saltillo was unbeaten in games played at neutral sites this season.

Unfortunately for George County, the Tigers kept that record intact at Trustmark Park Tuesday night.

Saltillo rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the sixth inning to tally four straight runs to end the game in a walk-off 4-3 win in eight innings. A win in game two Wednesday night or game three if needed on Saturday would return the the crown to Lee County for the first time in four years and in the process dethrone the defending state champion Rebels.

Saltillo’s Smtyhe McCoy delivered the final nail in the comeback coffin at the Rebels when he slapped a one-out single in the bottom of the eighth to end the game and complete an almost inexplicable turnaround.

George County got an impressive performance on the mound from starting pitcher Preston McAdory, as he worked six solid one-hit stanzas, striking out nine in the process. At one point, he set down 11 straight Tiger batters.

But when he walked the lead off batter up 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh, the Rebels turned to one of the top closers in the state in Canyon Reeves. The Tigers never flinched, however, as three batters later Ethan Arriola tanned a pitch to right for a two-run double to knot things up at 3-3 and send it into the decisive extra session.

“They were just better than us late in the game,” GCHS head coach Brandon Davis said.

George County jumped out on top quickly as Tripp Lightsey’s RBI-single in the top of the first plated Ben Davis to make it 1-0

The Rebels padded their lead with two more runs in the top of the fourth, when Cayler Havard blasted a lead-off double that dropped on the warning track over the Tiger left-fielder’s head and Blaine Green followed with an infield double that scooted up the middle to take it 2-0. Green scored on a throwing error by the Tigers on a sacrifice bunt from Brodie Ceechi and it was 3-0.

Meanwhile, McAdory was sailing right along on the hill with a no-hitter heading into the bottom of the sixth. but Saltillo’s first-hit of the game was a triple by Class 6A “Mr. Baseball” Baylor Roberts that put the Tigers on the scoreboard and cut the deficit to 3-1.

Roberts also led off the final at bat for the Tigers with a long double to left off of Rebel reliever Chandler Cameron, and scored on McCoy’s game-winner.

Green had two hits to lead GCHS at the plate, and both he and Havard had a double each.

The two hits by Roberts paced the Tigers. The game marked the fourth time this season that Saltillo played a game at a neutral site and the Tigers are now 4-0.