George County, Bay High open first round with victories; other 4/22 softball playoff action

GULFPORT, MS (WLOX) - While seven of our South Mississippi softball squads got to kick back and enjoy Easter thanks to a bye in the play-in round of the MHSAA Playoffs, others - like Gulfport - had to fight through the weekend to keep their seasons alive.

The Lady Admirals’ reward? A well-rested George County squad.

The Lady Rebels (19-6) took game one from Gulfport at the Herb, winning 8-1. George County goes for the series win on their home turf Tuesday (April 23) at 5 p.m.

Elsewhere in the Class 6A playoffs, Ocean Springs run-ruled Pearl 12-0 in six innings, while Harrison Central dropped game one to Petal 2-1.

In the Class 5A ranks, Pearl River Central took game one against Stone 4-2, Long Beach fell at home 8-6 to Wayne County, and West Harrison couldn’t complete the comeback against North Pike, losing 8-7.

Thanks to a dominant start on the mound by Lizzie Weems, throwing five strikeouts in the first two innings, Bay High was able to keep Purvis at bay long enough to break the ice on the scoreboard. Annlyssa Richardson’s second inning RBI scored Gracey Adkins to give the Tigers a 1-0 advantage before going on to win 7-6.

Meanwhile, two South Mississippi squads still had play-in round contests left to be played.

East Central dominated Mendenhall 12-5, earning the right to turnaround and host Newton County Tuesday (April 23) at 5:30 p.m. in the first round, while Resurrection’s season comes to an end, falling 8-7 to Houlka.

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