After losing to Forrest County 6-5 earlier in the week, Poplarville recovered and defeated the Aggies 4-1 in extra innings last Friday.

Jordan Belsome dominated on the mound once again, pitching 7 2/3 innings while striking out 19 Forrest County batters. However, the teams were tied after 7 innings until Quentin Baker served as Poplarville’s offensive catalyst and helped the Hornets score three runs in the top of the 11th inning.

The victory helped the Hornets split the series and move to 1-1 in district play.

Grinding out a win against such talented opposition is no easy feat, but it became more difficult within the past two weeks as the Hornets have dealt with injuries to multiple starters. However, the team’s next man up mentality means that even with the injuries a dip in form isn’t expected.

“That’s the thing now is even our guys that weren’t supposed to be in there are in there. They’re ready; they just have to get experience. We don’t go into the year expecting that everything is going to be perfect,” Head Coach Slade Jones said.

Splitting the series benefits the Hornets because it means they’re in the middle of the pack when it comes to chasing a playoff berth.

Jones knows the talented rosters his team will have to face, so starting 1-1 gives Poplarville the knowledge that they don’t need to back down from any opponent, even if the Hornets are shorthanded.

“We have to play to win every game. Anything can happen and we know that. We know it’s not going to be easy and not going to be perfect. It’s just about competing and our guys do a great job of that. They’ll compete no matter what until the final pitch, and that’s what it’ll take in this district,” Jones said.