NATCHEZ &045;&045; A sluggish start that left the 11-year-old Natchez All-Stars fighting for the lead against Wesson Saturday sent the team to an early loser’s bracket slot in the Dixie Youth Baseball tournament.

Three runs in the first and three runs in the sixth propelled the Wesson team to a 9-8 victory over Natchez.

&uot;Unfortunately for us in the first inning every ball they hit went in a hole and every ball we hit went in a glove,&uot; Natchez head coach Tim Morrison said. &uot;After that it evened off.&uot;

Natchez scored their first run in the third, an inning highlighted by Garrett Smith’s ground-rule double that hopped over the leftfield fence. A single and several fielder’s choice balls combined to drive in three runs.

The All-Stars tagged on another run in the fourth, coming within one of the Wesson team.

Wesson added to their lead in the fifth, bringing the score to 6-4. Bases on balls, wild pitches and hit batsmen allowed Natchez to tie the score in the bottom of the fifth.

Wesson took the lead for the last time in the sixth, scoring three. Natchez’s Brandon Sanders brought the All-Stars to within one with a double up the middle in the game’s final inning. A strikeout left Sanders, the tying run, stranded at second and gave Wesson the win.

&uot;We played good,&uot; Wesson coach Jerry Hood said. &uot;We didn’t quit. We weren’t our best defensively but we hit the ball when we had to.

&uot;Natchez is a great team and they put pressure on us.&uot;

Natchez will play again Monday night at 6. They must win to move on. Morrison said he felt good about the team and praised the players for their work.

&uot;We played as a team,&uot; Morrison said. &uot;Everybody had fun and we had a chance to win, that’s all you can ask for.&uot;

Wesson will play McComb Monday at 8 p.m. in the winner’s bracket.