TUPELO - On Good Friday, it was all about good pitching for the Tupelo Golden Wave.

Sophomore pitching at that.

Carter Clayton spun a three-hitter and Tupelo pieced together a five-run fourth inning to help the sophomore gain a 6-1 victory over the Houston Hilltoppers.

"Our pitcher with a complete game was the thing tonight against a good hitting team," Tupelo head coach Gary Enis said. "He mixed his pitches well, and it was encouraging to see."

In the middle of a 10 games in 10 days stretch, seven in six days just this calendar week, Enis had to be encouraged seeing pitchers eat up innings on Friday. Houston (15-8) really only threaten the Tupelo sophomore in his second start in the first and fourth innings.

The Hilltoppers connected for two singles in the top of the first, only to end the frame on a ground out. Then in the fourth, Clayton (3-0) allowed two leadoff walks, and a one-out RBI single by Peyton Callahan as Houston tied the score at 1-1 at that point.

Clayton only walked three and struck out five in his seven innings.

Meanwhile, Tupelo (12-8) notched a run on the board in the bottom of the first with an RBI single by senior Brayden Owen.

Then in the bottom of the fourth, Tupelo scratched out five runs off Houston reliever Denver McQuary, an eighth grader. The Wave had two hits in the frame, and scored twice on double steals, aided by four Houston errors.

"This game was disappointing all around," Houston head coach Scott Gann said. "An eighth grader throws six or seven outs that we can't make plays on.

"We just couldn't stop the storm in the fourth inning."

Tupelo has now won seven of its last eight games.

"We've just got to find a way to transfer our weekend play to our division games," Enis said. "We're still in the division with three games to go."

Tupelo 4, Starkville 1: Wave sophomore Hudson Roy hurled a complete game, also his first full seven innings, scattering two hits in seven innings, while walking two and striking out six.

Tupelo plated three runs in the fourth inning on an RBI hit by Ben Aldridge and three errors, and got an RBI single by sophomore Ty Wheeler in the fifth inning. Starkville's Maurico Clark belted a solo home run in the second frame.