The Vicksburg Missy Gators got to Game 3, but couldn’t crest the hill into round two.

Grenada scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning, then held on for dear life the rest of the way to beat Vicksburg 4-3 in the deciding Game 3 of their first-round MHSAA Class 6A softball playoff series on Monday.

Grenada (18-9) advanced to face Neshoba Central in the second round beginning Thursday. Vicksburg finished its season with an 8-13 record.

The teams split a doubleheader at VHS last Friday to set up Monday’s winner-take-all showdown — Vicksburg won 8-6 and Grenada 7-3 — and Grenada jumped out to a big lead early in Game 3.

Mary Taylour Wilbourn brought in a run with a bunt single and Grace Ann Tucker blooped a single to right field to bring in two more runs. Lillian Mattox followed with an RBI double to put the Lady Chargers ahead 4-0.

The Missy Gators held the line after that, though. Pitcher Lili Kistler only allowed three hits, one walk and no runs after the shaky first inning. She finished with four strikeouts.

That helped the Missy Gators get back in the game. Madisyn Kimble hit an RBI triple and scored on Camden McGloster’s single in the fourth inning, and in the fifth Zion Harvey tripled and scored on Trinity McGloster’s single to cut it to 4-3.

Harvey, Makynzie Dunmore and Trinity McGloster each finished with two hits, and the Missy Gators had 10 in the game. Hits in the clutch were hard to come by, though. The Missy Gators left seven runners in scoring position. In the second and third innings they had runners at second and third with less than two outs and did not score.

In the top of the seventh, Harvey reached base on a one-out single to provide a spark of life. She was thrown out stealing second, however, and Trinity McGloster struck out swinging to end the game and the season.