NATCHEZ &045; The Natchez 11-12 All-Stars are headed to Hattiesburg.

Behind a strong outing from pitcher Javon Washington, Natchez beat Hattiesburg 5-2 to take the Little League District 1 Championship and with it a berth in the state tournament, which begins Friday in Hattiesburg. Natchez will face either Biloxi or Crystal Springs.

Natchez and Hattiesburg had split their first two games last week in the tournament.

&uot;That’s just Little League baseball right there,&uot; Hattiesburg head coach Kenny Fairley said. &uot;Their bats woke up and ours didn’t. Of course, Washington may have had something to do with that.&uot;

Washington held Hattiesburg to four hits in the game and struck out 11 batters, but it was the Natchez offense that won the game.

&uot;It was a good game tonight,&uot; Natchez head coach Ronnie Brooks said. &uot;Mr. Washington there did a good job for us and they hit the ball. We really had some offense tonight.&uot;

Of course, this game almost didn’t happen. Originally scheduled for Friday, the game was postponed to Sunday because of thunderstorms. But about an hour before 6 p.m. Sunday, the scheduled starting time, storms again hit the area, drenching the field and forcing another delay.

With Natchez and Hattiesburg coaches helping workers from the Natchez Recreation Department, the field was dried out and ready for play in time for the game to start about 7:45 p.m.

&uot;That rain was tough,&uot; Brooks said. &uot;I want to thank the Hattiesburg coaches and all the people that helped us get that field in playing condition.&uot;

A light rain continued to fall throughout most of the game.

Hattiesburg’s Fairley said he hopes Natchez does well in the state tournament.

&uot;Natchez &045; we’re looking forward to them representing our district,&uot; Fairley said. &uot;We’re hosting the tournament over in Hattiesburg, so we’ll be supporting them and hoping they do well.&uot;

Natchez had its hands full just getting to the state tournament with Hattiesburg.

One of Sunday’s most important plays might have been the second pitch, on which Natchez’s pitcher Washington hit Hattiesburg pitcher Ricardo Hogan on his elbow, something that may have hampered his pitching ability for the rest of the game. Hogan pitched for three innings, but was finally forced to leave in the fourth.

Hogan had not lost a game in more than two years, Hattiesburg coach Kenny Fairley said. Natchez made Hogan look beatable, making solid contact throughout the game and recording four multiple-base hits.

Natchez started things off fast. Leadoff hitter Brian Isaac was hit by a pitch, stole second and went to third on a passed ball. After two outs, Washington’s single up the middle scored Isaac and put Natchez on the board. Washington scored on Keenen McCalister’s double to the wall in left field.

Natchez struck again in the second. Victor Quinn doubled to the fence in left and Rodrico Cravens walked. Both came home when Isaac hit a ground rule double to left center.

Hattiesburg came back in the third to score two runs. Cornelius Mitchell led off with a single to right and took second and third on passed balls. Hogan singled to score Mitchell, then took second and third on two more passed balls. He scored on yet another passed ball when McCalister’s throw to Washington covering the plate sailed high.

The Natchez All-Stars had a chance to lengthen their lead in the third when McCalister singled and Jonathan Hawkins and Quinn both walked to load the bases. But two consecutive strikeouts left all three baserunners stranded and Natchez without a run in the inning.

But Natchez’s Isaac made a statement in the fourth. Leading off, he hit a long foul ball down the first-base line and out of play. He took the next pitch over the wall in dead center for a solo home run to give Natchez a three-run lead. For the night, Isaac was 2-2, scored twice and had three runs batted in.

&uot;We had a good practice yesterday hitting of the pitching machine,&uot; Brooks said. &uot;That seemed to really carry over into today.&uot;