Once again the Huntington Hounds jumped out to an early lead and once again the District 7-A champions could not hold on to the lead.

Huntington jumped out to a 4-0 lead after three innings of play, only to see that lead disappear in the top of the sixth inning as the Claiborne Academy Rebels rallied for a 7-5 win to take a 1-0 lead in the first round of the MPSA Class A South State Playoffs.

Trey Corbett pitched five shutout innings only to run into trouble in the top of the sixth inning. He was the only multiple hitter for Huntington as he went 2-for-3 with a double.

“We started out with a hit batter, then a walk, a single and two errors,” Huntington head coach Mitch Ashmore said. “Somewhere along the line we do this. It’s a combination of things. We’ve struggled with this before.”

Even though Huntington (14-11) had the early lead, the Hounds’ offense struggled at the plate and eventually that also proved to be the difference.

“We did not swing the bat well at all tonight,” Ashmore said. “We were not very disciplined at the plate. We’re the kind of team that has to score runs or we can’t win. We are not able to close the door on people when we get leads.”

After the Rebels tied the game with four runs in the top of the sixth, they took the lead with three runs in the top of the seventh. The Hounds scored one run in the bottom of the seventh, but their rally fell a bit short.

Josh Lee and Zack Brown also had a double for Huntington while Tyler Goodwin went 2-for-4 with a double for Claiborne Academy.

Huntington must win Game 2 of the best-of-three series Thursday night at 7 p.m. at Claiborne Academy to force a third game back at Huntington Friday at 7 p.m.

Glenbrook 5, Trinity Episcopal 1

MONROE, La. — Glenbrook pitcher Logan Hollingsworth gave up just four hits and didn’t allow Trinity Episcopal to score until the seventh inning as the Apaches took the first game of this MPSA Class A South State Playoffs series.

Michael Ratcliff got things going for Glenbrook, the District 8-A champion, with a two-out solo home run in the bottom of the second inning. Ratcliff also had a double during the game and went 2-for-3.

Despite Hollingsworth’s gem on the mound, the Apaches didn’t break the game open until they scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning for a 5-0 lead. The Saints finally got on the board in the top of the seventh, but it was not nearly enough.

Preston Wise was 2-for-4 with a double for Glenbrook. Clint Easom had a double for Trinity (11-12), the District 7-A runner-up. The Saints will be in a must-win situation when game two of the best-of-three series takes place Thursday at 7 p.m. at Chester Willis Field.