NATCHEZ &045;&045; As much as the game went back and forth, Church Hill Produce stayed steady to its goal of a city championship.

Church Hill fought off a tough Natchez Market team to take a 9-8 win Friday night in the Coach pitch league championship game in Natchez Dixie Youth. Church Hill had to get a run in its last at-bat to take the lead for good after its top batter was tagged out.

&uot;It was a close game, and it was expected to be close,&uot; Church Hill head coach Ken Janette said. &uot;They’ve got a real good team. They all played well. This team won just one game all year last year. They went from worst to first. So we’re proud of them.&uot;

Give Natchez Market credit to answering just about everything Church Hill did in its at-bat. Natchez Market tied the game up at 8-8 in the top of the fifth when Thomas Garrity’s groundout was deep enough to score Scotty Floyd.

But after Church Hill took the lead in the bottom half, Natchez Market got a single from Jake Smilo but couldn’t get a rally started to answer.

&uot;Our guys played hard the whole ball game,&uot; Natchez Market head coach Ronnie Nettles said. &uot;We’re real proud of them. It kind of falls that way sometimes. We’re pleased with the fact we won our league. A lot of these kids will be back next year. We have only four 8-year-olds.&uot;

Church Hill got the deciding run in the fifth thanks to a Conner Pressgrove triple &045;&045; one of his two of the game &045;&045; scored Christopher Guedon for the 8-7 lead. The rally came on the heels of pitcher Kyle Bradley tagging out Donovan Logan at the plate that would have been the winning run.

Logan had hit two home runs earlier.

&uot;He’s kind of in a league of his own,&uot; Nettles said of Logan. &uot;He’s a strong player and has been all year. He is fast, can hit the ball and is just a good ball player. He (Bradley) is probably in my mind one of the fastest players in this league. He can hit, he’s fast and he’s smart. He’s going to be a good ball player for a long time.&uot;

Natchez Market tied the game at 7-7 in the fourth when Bradley, Garrity and Alex Hughes came around to score on three straight singles before Brandon Nettles doubled. But Church Hill answered in the bottom half when Thomas Carey’s groundout to the pitcher scored Jonathan Wilson for an 8-7 lead.

&uot;Both teams played really well,&uot; Janette said. &uot;My younger players were the ones that really stepped up. They really made the difference in the game. My older guys played well, but the younger guys stepped up. The bottom of the lineup did well.&uot;

It was Natchez Market who took the lead in the first with two runs before Church Hill got four in the bottom half &045;&045; two courtesy of a Logan home run and RBI hits from Pressgrove and Peyton Jenkins.

Natchez Market got two in the third when Brandon Nettles and Smilo each singled in a run, but Church Hill got three in the bottom half on a three-run homer from Logan for a 7-4 lead.

&uot;He’s just a tremendous athlete,&uot; Janette said. &uot;He’s got a big career ahead of him, but they all played well. We’re proud of all of them.&uot;