BROOKHAVEN &045; For a team that’s been steadier at pitching and defense than most Major League teams, the Natchez Majors’ 8-7 loss to the Brookhaven Nationals was hard to take.

Natchez jumped out to a 5-1 lead, led 6-2 later before the Nationals cut it to 7-5 heading into the sixth inning. There they scored three runs &045; two on wild pitches &045; while Natchez was held scoreless in its last at-bat to fall and exit the district tournament.

Brookhaven will play Summit today in the championship.

&uot;You win some, and you lose some,&uot; Natchez head coach Alan Dossett said. &uot;We just didn’t hold it together at the end. But we had fun this summer. We would have liked to have seen if we could have beaten (Summit) twice, but sometimes the chips fall the wrong way.&uot;

Natchez took the four-run lead behind starter Daniel Jenkins before Aaron White came in to pitch in the fourth and Jordan Dossett in the fifth. Natchez led 6-5 heading into the bottom of the fifth where it scored a run, but the bottom fell out in the sixth after two wild pitches allowed runs to score.

Natchez went three up, three down in the sixth.

&uot;Jordan didn’t have his best stuff tonight, and they hit it,&uot; Alan Dossett said. &uot;That’s the bottom line. Daniel Jenkins pitched a whale of a game. We hit the ball tonight and hit it well enough to win. Jordan threw a lot of bad pitches. I’ve put him in that situation many times, and he’s always come through for us.

&uot;Whether his arm was hurting, I don’t know. If I had it to do all over again, I probably would have done it.&uot;

Natchez jumped out to the early lead on key hits from Aaron White, Alex Strahan and Cody Floyd. White doubled over the centerfielder’s head early to drive in two runs, and Floyd singled in a run.

Kent King’s groundout to second in the fifth inning scored R.J. Fleming from third for a 7-5 Natchez lead.