NATCHEZ &045; If the next two games are anything like this one, you shouldn’t even leave your seat to use the bathroom or get nachos.

You could miss something wild.

Folks who did Carroll-Jones Field on Friday could have missed some impressive action between McComb and Natchez in the 12-year-old District 5 championship series. McComb had to rally for three runs in the top half of the sixth to take a 7-6 win, and you can bet neither side really left the park truly dejected.

Natchez &045; which fanned 13 times against McComb flamethrower Josh Armstreet &045; had a chance to win against a team many were saying might be unbeatable.

&uot;Just a heck of a game,&uot; Natchez head coach Reagan White said. &uot;Our kids didn’t lay down. Our confidence is up. Nobody at this place can’t say they didn’t get their money’s worth tonight.&uot;

Armstreet’s velocity was enough to make everyone from Natchez just take a big gasp of air from the moment he threw his first pitch. But give credit to the Natchez All-Stars for hanging in there and putting up six runs off the big right-hander in the fifth inning thanks to two home runs.

Give equal credit to McComb, who answered quickly after its ace pitcher lost the lead on the mound for perhaps the first time all summer.

&uot;The main thing is this team &045; ever since we’ve played practice games, they’ve got no quit in them,&uot; McComb head coach Tommy Badon said. &uot;Natchez has a great team. We knew we were going to have a battle when we got here, and it came down to the last at-bat. There are some good hitters on that team. There’s no question about it.&uot;

Natchez took a 6-4 lead after the fifth inning after being no-hit for four innings against Armstreet. Colin Dollar kept McComb guessing often at the plate and had his club two outs away from taking the first game of the series.

Dollar gave up a single to Tyler Nunnery to lead off but got A.P. Mabile to strike out. Justin Badon then popped a little soft shot down in front of first base that Dollar was just inches away from grabbing.

It fell in, moved Nunnery to second and set the stage for Ben Kavanay, who doubled to left center to score Badon and Mabile to tie the game at 6-6.

With first open, Dollar gave Armstreet &045; who homered in the fourth inning &045; the Barry Bonds treatment and intentionally put him on before Cody Floyd entered the game in relief. Kavanay then went to third on a wild pitch and scored on another wild pitch to take the lead.

&uot;If he had been a half-inch closer, he would have caught it and doubled (Nunnery) up,&uot; White said. &uot;The kid was off running. We would have doubled him up. His pitches were up, and that’s why they were hitting him. I think he got tired. It caught up him, but he pitched a heck of a game.&uot;

Armstreet recovered in the sixth and retired the side in order, including the first two on strikeouts against the bottom of the order. It was a big difference from the fifth when Kent King led off with a homer before Audie Crosby crushed a three-run shot to center that gave Natchez the lead.

Entering in the sixth in a whole new game, Armstreet came through.

&uot;I didn’t know what was going on &045; we just hit it well,&uot; Armstreet said. &uot;I just came out and threw hard and threw strikes. That (King’s shot) was probably the first home run anybody has ever hit off me. I was kind of rattled from that. We just got up (in the sixth) and everybody was hyper, and we went out hitting.&uot;

King’s shot went over the left-field fence to start off the fifth, and Armstreet had problems after that. R.J. Fleming walked, went to second on a passed ball and scored on a Caleb Johnson single.

Johnson later scored on a wild pitch to cut it to 4-3, Hunter Russ was hit by a pitch on a 2-2 count and Crosby put an 0-2 offering from Armstreet well over the fence in center field.

&uot;He’s hit 74 (mph),&uot; Tommy Badon said. &uot;He can really bring it. He throws in the lower 70s. We’ve got some more that can pitch really close to that. He hadn’t had too many home runs hit off him. But he doesn’t get rattled. That’s the kind of pitcher he is. But they score six runs in one inning, and that puts you back on your heels.&uot;

Natchez had trouble making contact up until then, and McComb had trouble with just the opposite pitches from Dollar. McComb had solo homers from Armstreet and Josh Cunningham earlier, and Natchez had just one baserunner the first three innings as King walked but was thrown out trying to steal.

It was King, however, who sparked it all later.

&uot;It picks up the whole team when the leadoff man hits his first home run like that,&uot; White said. &uot;The horns were blowing and the fans went wild. They all followed after that.&uot;