By MAURICE SINGLETON/ Sports Writer

HATTIESBURG — The South put up four runs in the top of the third inning to tie the North at 5-5, but from that point the South managed only a single hit the rest of the way. The North picked up three more runs on their way to an 8-5 win in the 50th All Star Classic at William Carey on Wednesday.

The South’s roster included four players from the six coastal counties, including Pass Christian’s Brendan Necaise, who started on the mound, Poplarville’s Brock Sheppard and East Central’s Anthony Tanner and Jaxon Cripps.

The game was delayed an hour and forty-five minutes because of lightning and rain, starting at 7:45 instead of the scheduled 6:00 p.m.

Necaise had a tough time on the mound, giving up four hits and walking three batters, which the North turned into five runs to take a 5-1 lead going into the second inning.

But the South would recover as they got it going in the third inning. Columbia’s Collin Haney opened the inning with a single. North East Jones Kaden Padgett followed moved Haney to second on a hard grounder down the third base line, and he was safe at first on an errant throw.

Haney scored on an errant throw to third base, then Purvis’ Drew Swan drove in Padgett on a ground ball to first base for the first out of the inning. Purvis’ Cannon Turner drove a high-bouncing ball to third base, and another errant throw scored Columbia’s MT Breland to put the South within one (4-5).

South Jones Cambridge McDaniel would send a double to centerfield to drive in the last run of the night for the South, capping the third inning with four runs off two hits and four errors on the North.

“Lot of ability in this dugout, and they went out there and just competed,” said South and Columbia coach Kyle Lindsey. “A shortened game; we’re supposed to play nine (innings), a wet field, you got errors both ways.

“They’re a fun group to be around,” said Lindsey. “They’re great competitors. The big part is these guys get together, meet each other, and they’re going to make friendships for a long time.”

Ittawamba’s John Austin Wood would get on base on a walk, and he would move to second on North Pontotoc’s Jack Cumming’s single to centerfield. South Pontotoc’s Jackson Harmon nailed a ground ball past the third baseman, scoring Wood to regain the lead for the North (6-5).

The North would score two more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, both coming with two outs.