By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

VANCLEAVE — Between the two programs, Vancleave and Purvis has combined to win four state baseball championships over the past 15 seasons.

On Tuesday, in a rare meeting between the two teams, Bulldog senior standout Dane McElroy led his squad to one of the biggest regular season wins in program history.

Vancleave slipped past Purvis 3-0 in game one of a Region 4-5A series. The decision moved the Bulldogs to 3-1 in the region race, and 10-6 overall.

McElroy turned in a complete game worksheet, scattering just four singles by the normally mighty Tornaodes, who are the defending Class 4A South State champs. McElroy struck out seven and walked just one in the dominating performance, which marked his second straight complete game shutout in league play after hurling a 1-0 win over Wayne County last week.

His teammates wasted no time in handing him a quick lead it would never relinquish, as Conner Mitchell’s RBI-double plated Wyatt Adams in the bottom of the first to make it 1-0.

A Royce Gatz run-scoring ground out in the second stanza made it 2-0, and the speedy, multi-sport standout Kyle Capers stole home in the third frame to end the scoring at 3-0.

Adams, like Capers fresh off his time in the offensive backfield for the Bulldogs football team, had a game-high two hits to pace VHS at the plate. McElroy, a vital cog for the Vancleave basketball squad as well, had a single in support of himself also.

Nash Teater started and suffered the loss for Purvis, which drops to 12-4 overall and dropped its first league game to sit at 3-1 in the region race as well after sweeping Stone last week.

Purvis moved up a level to Class 5A this season and is a new member of Region 4-5A.

The two teams face off again in Purvis on Friday night, before reconvening at “The Landing” in Vancleave Saturday afternoon.