Kenan Wilhoit provided what South Greene needed at the plate and Dustin Holland pitched the Rebels out of a jam Wednesday to get their team by conference rival Greeneville.

Wilhoit hit a three-run homer in the fifth. Holland came on in relief in the top of the seventh to get three outs with runners on base, and then Wilhoit manufactured the winning run on the base paths in the bottom half of the inning to give the Rebels a 7-6 victory.

The win keeps the Rebels from opening the season with two straight Blue Ridge Athletic Conference losses to the Devils after they were on the short side of the scoreboard Monday.

"We beat a good baseball team. It was big. It was huge," said South Greene coach Frank Rodgers. "We gained a split which will help us down the road. They are a good team. We wanted to come out and put the ball in play with a little more pace on it than we did Monday."

The big inning for the Rebels to hit the ball was the fifth, but up until then South Greene trailed.

Kip Grooms and Derrick Thornton each drove in a run in the top of the first to give Greeneville a lead right out of the gate.

Cole Baxley hit a double to left and scored on an RBI single to center by Jalen Shuffler in the bottom half, making it 2-1 at the end of the first.

That's where the score stayed until the fourth. Greeneville threatened in the third with runners on second and third, but South Greene starter Jackson Oster got out of the inning with two straight strikeouts.

South Greene wasn't as fortunate in the fourth, but it could have been worse than it was. Luke Rambo was hit to lead off the inning and John-Michael Hardin reached on a base hit. Taylor Blair and Collin King drove in the runs. Grooms was hit to load the bases with two out, but then Oster coaxed a pop out to first to end the inning with the Devils up 4-1.

Scott Susong cut into Greeneville's lead with a two-out solo homer crushed to straight away center in the bottom of the fourth, but then Greeneville got the run back in the top of the fifth on an RBI double to left from Blair to make it 5-2.

South Greene took its first lead in the bottom of the fifth. Nick Presley led off with a base hit to center. An outfield error by Greeneville opened the door for a run to score, but there were no mistakes on the Rebs' big blow of the inning.

Wilhoit came to the plate with two out and two aboard and thought he'd cleared the bases early in the at-bat with a long ball that skirted just the wrong side of the foul pole in right.

A couple of pitches later there was no doubt about it when Wilhoit unloaded a shot deep out to right center for a three-run homer that had the Rebels up 6-5.

The Devils tied the game again in the sixth when Grooms reached on a base hit and Hardin drew a bases loaded walk. Hardin was down in the count early 1-2 but then kept himself alive long enough to draw the walk that made it 6-6.

Greeneville reliever Dylan Lobrillo kept the Devils in it in the bottom half of the inning. South Greene loaded the bases with one away but no runs scored thanks to the pitching and a stabbing catch at short by Hardin to end the side.

Holland was the reliever that came up big in the top of the seventh. Greeneville got three runners on the bases in the inning but Holland never let the Devils get the ball out of the infield. Presley at third assisted on the first two outs with stops and throws to second and then Holland ended the threat with a strikeout.

"He is a senior that came in and did his job. That's what we expect," Rodgers said of Holland.

Wilhoit won it for the Rebels in the bottom of the seventh when an infield error allowed him to get on safely and reach second. Then, when Wilhoit broke to steal third another Devil miscue opened the door for him to race home and score the winning run.

The Rebels (1-1, 1-1) are scheduled to be at home again today, hosting University High at 4 p.m.

Greeneville (1-1, 1-1) is scheduled to play at Cherokee today.