PEARL — All game long, Stanton Price seemed to have a little extra pep in his step.

The Vicksburg High left-hander was hopping around on the mound, humming his fastball by batters, and even glaring at an outfielder after he was robbed of a hit. So when Pearl’s Nick Pitman led off the bottom of the seventh with a double in a one-run game, it wasn’t cause for alarm. It was a sign the Gators were about to wrap things up.

Price struck out the side after Pitman’s double, finishing off a two-hit shutout as Vicksburg beat Pearl 1-0 for a key Division 3-4A victory Friday night.

Price finished with nine strikeouts — eight of them in the last four innings — walked one batter and hit two others. He retired 11 of the last 13 batters he faced, didn’t allow a runner past second base, and also went 2-for-3 at the plate.

“I walked and got the jersey after that leadoff double. I knew it was over,” Vicksburg coach Jamie Creel said with a smile. “He’s usually the most reserved guy out there. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him play with that intensity. He had fun out there tonight.”

The win put Vicksburg (12-5, 6-1) in sole possession of first place in the division as the second half of the division schedule begins. Pearl (14-7, 5-2) fell a game back, while Ridgeland also has one loss in division play. Although each team has five division games left, Pearl would have had a tiebreaker edge on the Gators if it could have won Friday thanks to its 5-4 win at Bazinsky Field in March.

“It’s a big win for us. We’ve still got some work to do, but the guys are starting to feel like they’re getting into a playoff caliber mentality,” Creel said.

Friday’s game had all the trappings and intensity of a postseason game.

While Price was shackling the Pirates, Stephen Byrd was doing the same thing to Vicksburg. He allowed only five hits and one walk, struck out 11, and allowed only one runner past second base. Unfortunately for him, it was the one that scored.

After Trey Prentiss was thrown out on a stolen base attempt for the second out of the fourth inning — the second runner Pearl catcher Zach Bridges threw out in the game — Bowen Woodson singled to left. As Woodson broke for second on another steal attempt, Brian Fitzgerald hit the next pitch into the left field corner. Woodson, with his big head start, scored easily on the double to put the Gators ahead 1-0.

“When you get in a lockdown game like this, I don’t care if they throw out five guys in a row. We’re going to try and steal and make something happen,” Creel said. “They’re not going to throw (Woodson) out at the plate. Fitz has gotten big hit after big hit for us this season, and that was another one.”

Now holding a lead, Price wasn’t about to let it slip away. He struck out Pitman to start the bottom of the fourth, hit the next batter Bridges and then picked him off for the second out. No one else reached base until Pitman’s leadoff double in the seventh, and three straight strikeouts made sure it didn’t affect the outcome.

“I was fired up for this. We let the last one slip away and didn’t want to let that happen again,” Price said.