The clock was turned back at Liberty Park Saturday. Former members of South Natchez and North Natchez baseball teams took over former members of Natchez High’s baseball teams in the first alumni contest.

Money raised went to buying a radar gun for the Natchez High baseball team.

In the first game, the &uot;old-timers&uot;&160;pulled out an 8-6 win. The younger guys won the second game 8-6.

Playing for the older team (Ben-Gay guys) was the trio of Jimmy Fuqua, Richard Prescott and Wade Stephens, who were all members of A.C. Williams 1973 final team at South Natchez which won state.

&uot;It’s different because we used wooden bats,&uot; Prescott said of the alumni game.

After Prescott flew out to right field, Fuqua responded, &uot;If that would have been a wooden bat, it would have been a base hit.&uot;

Before the hit, Prescott dodged an inside pitch, which led to Eric Dunham (North Natchez Class of 1987) yellikng for him to take one for the team. The response from the other end of the dugout was that Richard was already nursing a pulled hamstring.

The &uot;oldest&uot; player was Robert Jones, North Natchez Class of 1972.

Dunham, who went on to pitch at Southern, pitched five innings before pulling himself from the lineup.

&uot;It felt good,&uot; Dunham said. &uot;It brought back a lot of memories. I didn’t expect to go as long as I did. I just kept giving it everything I had and then I hit a brick wall.&uot;

Natchez High head coach Michael Lindsey, who played at South Natchez up until 1987, replaced Dunham on the mound and went two strong innings.

Lindsey got two straight strikes on his first batter, which brought this reaction for Dunham:&160;&uot;Tell him like we used to tell them in Louisiana – ‘Ba-you.’&uot;

Lindsey did get the strikeout.

&uot;All of those days of throwing batting practice paid off,&uot; Lindsey said.

Lindsey mixed up his pitches, even throwing a curve that brought this repsonse from Wade Stephens.

&uot;You’d have to clock that one on a calendar.&uot;

Clark Jackson (South Natchez Class of 1984) scored the go-ahead run for the older team.

&uot;It was a lot of fun,&uot; said Jackson, who is now a volunteer assistant baseball coach at ACCS. &uot;We need to do this once a year. It brought back a lot of good memories.&uot;

Ricky Barlow, South Natchez Class of 1977, may have had the biggest burden for the older guys -&160;playing catcher on this warm day.

&uot;It’s hot,&uot; he said. &uot;But it’s not that bad. It started all coming back to me. There are some things I can’t do now because I’m a little older. but it’s fun and it’s for a good cause.&uot;

Andy Yates, South Natchez Class of 1987, said there was nothing like getting back on the field.

&uot;The only thing I wanted to do was make contact the first time so I wouldn’t embarrass myself,&uot; he said.

Yates singled to drive in the tying run.

After the first seven-inning game was completed, the teams decided to take a break and play another one where the pitching machine was used.

&uot;I think we need about a three-week break,&uot; Yates said of the time between games.

ACCS&160;principal Buddy Wade, who coached most of the South Natchez guys, coached the older team, while former Natchez coach and current athletic director Gill Morris coached the younger group.

&uot;It was a lot of fun and brought back a lot of memories,&uot; Wade said.

Buddy Brown (Natchez High Class of 1995) pitched for the younger guys.

&uot;It was fun pitching against guys you heard about while growing up,&uot; he said. &uot;Especially pitching against Coach Lindsey.&uot;