The Lady Hornets built a commanding six run lead against a scrappy Pass Christian team, only to see it slip away in extra innings as the Lady Pirates came back for an 11-10 win.

The loss leaves Poplarville awaiting its postseason fate, as PCHS now meets Picayune tonight. A Pass wins gives it the second seed in Division 8-4A behind Long Beach, while a Picayune win gives Poplarville the number two spot and a playoff berth.

After Poplarville took a 7-1 lead, Pass Christian battled back in two strong innings, to tie the game at seven in the seventh. Poplarville failed to score in the home half of the inning to throw the contest into extra innings.

Pass Christian added a four runs in the top of the eighth as Hornet fielding and pitching slacked off. Poplarville managed to gain three of the runs back but left the tying run on base.

The Hornets struck first in the second when Irena Stringer reached first on a hit batter call. After two outs, Wren Nightingale rapped a double to score Stringer. Kayla Ross then recorded a triple to drive Stringer home for the second run.

Pass Christian managed a single run in the third behind two singles and a wild pitch. Hornet pitcher Megan Ladner struck out two.

The Hornets skipped an inning before exploding for five runs in the fourth.

Pass Christian added their second hit batter, putting Lady Hornet Janessa Dedeaux on first. Taylor Myers became the third Hornet batter to get a pass to first the same way. After a strikeout and a pickoff, Kayla Ross rapped a single to score Dedeaux.

Ross then scored on Nightingale’s single. Christina Campbell and Megan Ladner padded the Hornet lead with singles of their own. Chelsea Theriot finished out the Hornet attack with another single, scoring Ladner for the inning’s fifth run.

Poplarville appeared heading for the win as both teams were scoreless in the fifth but the Pirates showed life in the sixth with two runs.

After Ladner got her fifth strikeout to start the sixth, two Pass Christian singles set the stage for the beginning of the Pirate rally. An error loaded the bases and the first run scored on a fielder’s choice. A sacrifice added another run before Ladner recorded her sixth strikeout.

Poplarville failed to score in the home half of the inning, but the Pirates rallied for four in the seventh to tie the game.

After Ladner walked her second batter of the game, Pass Christian led the inning with a triple and a double that put two more runs on the board. An error, a bunt for the first out, a single and a hit batter added to the Hornet woes as the Pirates tied the game at seven.

Three singles in the first extra inning, along with an error and a walk, allowed the Lady Pirates to jump out to a four run lead.

The Lady Hornets squeezed out three runs in the eighth but fell short by one, leaving the tying run on base.

“They lost their focus and just couldn’t get it back,” Head Coach Jonathan Ray said after the game.

“We’ve got to wait on the outcome,” he ended.*