Picayune’s Maroon Tide baseball team took on the Gulfport Admirals March 5 and lost 5-4.

It was the second loss in a row for the Maroon Tide after losing 9-5 to Pass Christian on March 3.

“Last night I thought we played hard and had a chance to win the game, it just didn’t go our way,” Head Coach Evan Nichelson said.

The first two innings went without a hitch for Picayune and the game was tied going into the third inning.

Then Gulfport’s bats came alive and the Admirals scored one run in the third and two runs in the fourth inning to take a 3-0 advantage.

Kade Turnage started the come back for the Maroon Tide with a solo homer in the bottom of the fifth inning to cut the deficit to just two runs.

Nichelson said he’s hoping Turnage’s offensive performance gives him some momentum moving forward into the season.

“He had some good at bats and hopefully that gets him going. We expect him to focus up every pitch. He’s our guy,” Nichelson said.

A scoreless inning for Gulfport in the top of the sixth, then led to a three run outburst from Picayune to take the lead.

Logan Ledet had an RBI triple, which was followed by a Luke Smith double to give Picayune a 4-3 advantage heading into the final inning of the game.

The top of the seventh inning set the game up for a dramatic ending as the Admirals were able to score two runs and take a 5-4 lead.

Picayune only had three outs to try and tie or win the matchup.

Chad Dudenhefer had a triple with two outs on the board to give Picayune a runner in scoring position.

However, a fly out by Ledet ended the game and saw Picayune lose its second consecutive contest.

The loss put Picayune’s record to 5-3 on the season.

Nichelson said the loss wasn’t the result the team wanted, but he was happy with how the players competed.

“You never like a loss. You never accept a loss, but I thought our kids played harder than they have all year. I’m proud of the way they battled and it’s a great step in right direction,” Nichelson said.

The Maroon Tide will be looking to end the losing streak against the Hancock Hawks when the two teams meet March 7.

Hancock is currently 3-2-1 and is coming off a 0-0 tie with Long Beach.

Nichelson said the game against Hancock would serve as a good way for the team to get back on track.

“I expect them to compete and get this thing rowing in the right direction. I don’t think anybody is worried, and they know how good they can be,” Nichelson said.

The game is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.