Natchez High’s path to its first Division 6-5A title in a decade got a little harder Tuesday night as the Forest Hill Rebels used a seven-run second inning to take down the Bulldogs.

Natchez High and Forest Hill each scored two runs in the first inning, but after that Jason Johnson pitched three straight scoreless innings that allowed the Rebels to take control of the game.

In the bottom of the second inning, Forest Hill (9-11, 4-1) scored seven runs, with the key hit being Malcolm McCoy’s three-run home run. The Rebels added another run in the bottom of the third for a commanding 10-2 lead.

“Passed balls was a big difference,” Natchez High head coach Charlie Williams said. “We had a ton of passed balls.”

And while Natchez High’s offense finally got going in the final three innings of the game, its pitching could not stop Forest Hill from scoring. Four errors by the Bulldogs (10-9, 4-1) also proved to be costly.

Forest Hill didn’t exactly hit the ball extremely well as it ended up with just five hits. McCoy went 2-for-4.