By Stan Caldwell/Sports Writer

PETAL — The conventional wisdom would suggest that what Petal did to Ocean Springs in the opening round of the Class 7A baseball playoffs was an upset.

After all, the Greyhounds came into the playoffs with a glittering record, ranked among the state’s top teams and the top seed out of Region 4-7A, while the Panthers came in as the No. 4 team out of Region 3-7A.

But Petal has the trophies indicative of its championship tradition, and Friday night, the Panthers lived up to that tradition, completing a stunning sweep in the best-of-three game series with a 7-3 victory at Panther Field.

Petal (19-12) advanced to the second round, where the Panthers will face the winner of the series between Oak Grove and Gulfport. That series is tied at a game apiece, and will be decided Monday at Oak Grove. Ocean Springs finished its season 25-5.

“It stings,” said Greyhound coach Ryne Long. “It stings, for sure. That group out there is an unbelievable group of guys, and they have left a lasting impression of the guys that are going to come behind them.

“I hate it for those seniors that it ended this way. They’re going to go down as one of the best in program history, and that’s a testament to their hard work and leadership.”

As was the case in Thursday’s series opener, Petal used one big swing in one big inning to overcome the Greyhounds.

In Game 1, it was a grand slam from Petal senior Trey Barnes in an eight-run sixth inning rally that got it done in a 9-3 win. Friday, it was a three-run double off the bat of senior Fischer Howell in a decisive four-run uprising in the bottom of the fourth that made the difference.

Until the fourth inning, it was Ocean Springs that held the advantage, grabbing a 3-1 lead early.

Senior left-hander Cooper Smith was making his first appearance in two weeks for the Panthers after coming back from a concussion, so it took him a few batters to settle in, and that cost him initially.

After getting two quick outs in the top of the first inning, Smith surrendered an infield single to senior Adam Clower, then senior Justin San Miguel pulled an 0-1 slider over the rightfield fence for a two-run home run.

“I finally got a pitch over the plate,” said San Miguel. “I hadn’t gotten much through the first game, so I didn’t miss it. It was some kind of off-sped pitch, and I was able to get the barrel of the bat on it.

“I was able to keep my weight back, adjust and drive the ball out of the park.”

Petal scratched out a run in the bottom of the first without a hit off Ocean Springs senior right-hander Tristan Fox.

Senior Dawson Dykes was hit by a pitch leading off the inning, he stole second, went to third on a ground ball to the right side and scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of sophomore Maddox Clark.

The Greyhounds had a chance to pad their lead in the second after two were out, when senior Jayvon Williams reached on a two-base error in the infield and went to third on an infield single in the hole between shortstop and third base.

But Smith induced an inning-ending groundout to keep the Hounds off the scoreboard in that inning. But a leadoff walk to Fox, a steal, a wild pitch and another infield error with two outs allowed Ocean Springs to grab a 3-1 lead.

However, that would be the last base-runner for the Greyhounds until the seventh inning, as Smith shifted into a higher gear, retiring the next 11 batters he faced.

“He’s thrown phenomenal for us all year,” said Petal coach Connor Douglas. “He’s a competitor. He got off to a little slower start than usual, just getting back into things. But he competed his tail off. What a performance. I’m so proud of him and the way he fights for us.”

Petal started its comeback in the bottom of the third, scoring a run after two were out. Howell was hit by a pitch, and Easton Giger smacked a double into leftfield to drive in Howell all the way from first.

The Panthers’ game-winning rally started after Fox got the leadoff batter out on a strikeout.

Senior John Lindsey pulled an 0-1 pitch into the leftfield corner for a stand-up double, then freshman Tripp Lee, pinch hitting for senior Chad Cahill, singled to right with the runner moving to third.

Fox got a strikeout for the second out, but then he lost command of the strike zone, delivering back-to-back walks, the second scoring the tying run and leaving the bases loaded for Howell’s big hit.

“He did kind of lose the strike zone a little bit,” said Long. “He dialed it back in, but Howell is an unbelievable player for them, and that’s what great players do. They come on in big spots, and make plays. He hit a ball in the gap and cleared the bases.

“Two nights in a row, I felt that one pitch kind of swung the game one way of the other. It just happened that it was Petal that got the big hit.”

Staked to a three-run lead, Smith cruised through the fifth and sixth innings, then gave up a one-out walk in the top of the seventh. That ended his night, as Giger came on to get the final two outs, both on strikeouts.

Petal added an insurance run in the sixth, when sophomore Riels Holder doubled with one out, took third on a passed ball and scored on a single by Dykes.

Smith (5-2) allowed just three hits, struck out seven and walked three. Fox (4-1) gave up six runs on five hits, he struck out three and walked three. Sophomore Patterson Gilfoil came on with one out in the fifth, and finished it up for Ocean Springs.

“We didn’t end the way we wanted,” said San Miguel. “We expected to go all the way to the end. It’s just unfortunate.

“But I feel like we’re one of the greatest groups to come out of Ocean Springs, and we’re going to be remembered for what we did this year.”

Long amplified that as he reflected on a successful season that ended for sooner than expected, and the seniors who got the Greyhounds where they are.

“Those guys, for the last three or four years, have done nothing but work hard every single day,” said Long.

“They showed up, they gave it everything they had, every drop of sweat. They showed up eager to work, eager to learn. They did everything we asked them to do, and asked for more. I’m grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to be their coach.”