Picayune took a big step towards securing the Region 7-5A prep baseball title Thursday night.

The Maroon Tide rallied for a 2-1 win over visiting Long Beach in league action. The win gives Picayune sole possession, for the moment, of first place in the league standings at 5-2. Long Beach dropped to 4-3, and Stone County stood 4-2.

“We need wins in all three of the last three games in district play, and this was the first one,” veteran Picayune head coach Cayne Stockstill said. “This was a really good win for us, it was a big step.The kids kept fighting.”

Peyton Lee remained unbeaten in league play, moving to 4-0, getting the win on the mound. He went within one out of his second complete game against the Bearcats this season, scattering five hits and striking out five.

“A really solid performance by Peyton,” Stockstill added. “He hung in there and really fought hard. A gritty outing for sure.”

The Maroon Tide took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first frame, when Dalton Hedgepeth reached base and Hayden Falls followed later with a run-scoring single.

Long Beach would tie the game up at 1-1 in the fourth.

Picayune would take the lead for good in the bottom of the sixth, when Devin Hedgepeth doubled with two outs. Morgan Dragon followed that hit with an RBI-single to put Picayune ahead.

In the top of the seventh, the Bearcats got two runners on with two outs, and Stockstill replaced Lee on the hill with Mark Wood. Wood earned the save, as he induced a ground ball to short that Falls came up with clean and threw to Dragon at first to seal the win.

Devin Hedgepeth had a double and a single at the plate to pace Picayune in the winning effort.

Picayune was slated to host West Harrison in league play Friday night. The Hurrcianes stood 0-6 in league play entering that game, and had already been eliminated from playoff contention.

Stone and Long Beach were also slated to meet Friday night. Stone also hosts West Harrison on Monday in league play, before hosting Picayune Tuesday to close out action in the district race. Long beach also hosts West Harrison on Tuesday.

“There’s still a long way to go, but we needed this one tonight,” Stockstill concluded.