Poplarville hung up seven early runs against Ocean Springs Thursday afternoon and hung on for a 9-6 win.

The Hornets are now 2-1 on the season, while the Greyhounds are 1-2. The game was played at Wildcat Stadium on the campus of Pearl River Community College.

Poplarville used the long ball to take the comfortable early lead, as Zac Houston and Austin Smith each went deep in the first inning.

Houston, a Mississippi State signee, smacked a three run homer to make it 3-0 just after singles by Chandler Ray and Drake Hodges. After a pair of walks and a Greyhound error loaded the bases, Smith, the nine hole hitter, smashed a grand slam just over the right fiend wall.

Ocean  Springs fought back, however, as Wes Windham and Kyle Quist opened the second stanza with back-to-back doubles. Dylan Delancey singled in Quist to make it 7-2, and then he scored on a wild pitch.

Down 7-3, the Greyhounds cut the deficit to 7-5 with two more runs in the third. Andrew Walker singled, and scored on Sean Bartosik RBI-triple. Bartosik then scored on a wild pitch.

In the fifth, Ocean Springs drew closer as Marcus Buckley reached on a single, and three batters later Evan Peters singled him home.

The Greyhounds were on the verge of tying the game up, but Poplarville catcher Luke Goodwin picked a runner off of first base to end the inning.

Goodwin then sealed the win in the bottom of the sixth, when with two outs he singled home both Hodges and J.J. Welch.

Houston, a Dandy Dozen selection, went the distance for the second consecutive game to earn the win striking out six of the last eight batters he faced. He allowed seven hits,  walked four and struck out 10. This on the heels of a one-hit, 13 strike out performance in a 1-0 shutout of Picayune to open the season on Friday.

Peters took the loss, while Jonathan Hardy relieved him in the fifth and went the rest of the way.

Ray and Hodges had two singles apiece for the Hornets, while Welch and Blake Ladner each added doubles.

Delancey and Bartosik had a pair of hits apiece for the Greyhounds.

Poplarville plays Harrison Central at 7 Saturday night here at PRCC, while Ocean Springs travels to Vancleave tonight.