HATTIESBURG – April 15, 2015. That was the last time Petal beat Oak Grove on the diamond. But, the six-game losing streak is over after the Panthers won a 10-6 come-from-behind contest over their rival Tuesday night.
The Warriors plated four runs in the first inning in what looked like was going to be a seventh straight win. Petal pitcher Hunter Dykes settled down, the bats came alive with 11 hits and it took advantage of six Oak Grove errors.
“Every win is great, and I tell you what, that was a huge win,” Petal coach Larry Watkins said. “A division game against a really good team on the road, that was big for us tonight.
“Down four, I was proud we didn’t panic. We just started chipping away and we got back in there.”
PHOTO GALLERY: Click for photos from Matt Bush.
Oak Grove looked like a well-oiled machine in the first inning, especially after beating George County 12-0 Friday night. Sophomore Turner Swistak reached on a fielder’s choice, senior Hayes Maples walked and senior Tanner Slay singled to load the bases. After Dykes was called for a balk to score the game’s first run, sophomore DeeJay Booth picked up two RBI on a single to center. A Cade Cuevas ground out scored the fourth run for the Warriors.
Dykes, however, would find his groove with the help of his team’s defense. He pitched a complete-game while giving up six runs – five earned – on 10 hits with a strikeout and three walks.
Senior right fielder Dylan Pylant made quite a few good plays in the field, including a sliding grab in the bottom of the seventh inning to help squash an Oak Grove rally. When asked about which play stood out to him, he deflected to give Petal first baseman Colton Rainy some credit.
“I think Rainy’s clutch play at first really helped keep the momentum in our favor,” Pylant said. “That play really helped us out. They could get some momentum going and come back.”
With the bases loaded and one out, Rainy pounced on a sharply hit ground ball down the first base line, then stepped on the bag. A run scored, but the bases would have been cleared if the ball shot past him. Instead of a 10-8 game with one out and a runner on base, Petal held a 10-6 lead with two outs.
Dykes’ lone strikeout came on the final out of the game.
“He pitched great,” Watkins said. “He’s such a competitor and I was proud of him for battling through the game because Oak Grove swings the bat pretty good.”
Petal added runs in the second and third inning to cut Oak Grove’s lead to 4-2, but a five-spot in the fourth gave the Panthers the lead for good. Pylant was a key contributor at the plate, too. He went 1-for-4 at the plate but scored three runs, which included a homer to left field in the fifth inning. That gave the Panthers an 8-5 advantage.
“I didn’t think it was going,” Pylant said. “I thought I hit it too high. I was sprinting around the bases.”
Senior Zach Parks led Petal with three RBI off a 2-for-5 performance. His first RBI came in the third when his hit ricocheted off Oak Grove pitcher sophomore Luke Lyon, which cut Oak Grove’s lead to 4-2. In the five-run fourth, he singled to left field to push Petal’s lead to 6-4, then for good measure, he doubled in the seventh to add an insurance run.
The two will meet against Thursday in Petal for a 7 p.m. game, weather permitting.
“Enjoy this tonight, but we have them again this week,” Watkins said. “I tell you what, it was big getting that first game.”
Petal moves to 4-1 in Region 5-6A and Oak Grove drops to 3-2. George County sits at 4-2 after sweeping a doubleheader with Meridian Tuesday.
Of note, Oak Grove’s Kris Jones returned to the field after injuring his knee during the football season. He hit in the six-hole as the designated hitter and went 2-for-3. The junior hit .377 as a sophomore last season.
