MAGEE — After playing five games in three days to win the South Regional championship, the Natchez All-Stars returned to Magee with an even bigger prize on their minds — winning a state title.

Natchez is now one win away from winning the Mississippi Dixie Youth Coach Pitch State Championship after it defeated Yazoo City 9-4 Friday night in Game 1 of the best-of-three series.

Game 2 will take place today at 6 p.m. with Game 3, if necessary, to follow at 8 p.m.

“Tough Yazoo City team. They’ve got a good defense,” Natchez head coach Gary Farmer said. “But I think we wanted it more than they did.”

After a scoreless first inning, Natchez took the lead with three runs in the top of the second inning and never relinquished it after that. Brock Farmer got things going with a single, but he was thrown out at second on Reed White’s fielder’s choice. Jace Calcote singled to give Natchez runners at second and third.

Jacob Jenkins then hit a double to score White and Calcote and Lee Ford doubled to bring in Jenkins and to give Natchez a 3-0 lead.

Yazoo City responded with two runs in the bottom of the second inning to cut the lead to 3-2, but that would be as close as it would get the rest of the game.

Natchez pulled away with three runs in the top of the third inning. Gage Dossett got on with a fielder’s choice and Gabe Smith and Farmer hit consecutive singles to load the bases.

Jack Dukes unloaded the bases and gave Natchez a 6-2 lead with a stand-up triple that rolled all the way to the fence in left field.

“We were really hitting the ball tonight,” Farmer said. “Our defense was solid.”

Yazoo City could only muster one run on one hit in both the bottom of the third and the bottom of the fourth.

In between, Natchez scored two runs in the top of the fourth on an error that brought in Calcote and a double by Craig Bradley that scored Daniel Garrity.

Natchez, which had 17 hits in the game to eight for Yazoo City, finished off the scoring when Farmer singled in Gabe Smith in the top of the fifth inning.