NATCHEZ — Two local baseball players made their marks on the State of Mississippi last week by leading their team to a gold medal.

Centreville Academy’s Randy Bell and Trinity Episcopal’s Sky Logan each took the diamond for District 7 in the State Games of Mississippi June 21-24.

District 7 went undefeated for the first time in the tournament and brought home the gold medal.

“It was a really big accomplishment,” Bell said. “Last year the team had Hunter Devall and Jake Winston and they finished second, so it was kind of competitive for us to win it all and hold that over them.”

Bell, who played mostly second base, had a great tournament, going 6-11 at the plate with a double and a couple of runs scored, he said. He also recorded a save in one inning of work on the mound.

Logan said although he hit the ball hard, he struggled offensively. But he was pleasantly surprised by the team’s performance.

“Coming in I didn’t think we had enough pitchers to win,” Logan said.

Logan, who played first base during the tournament, said playing with Bell was difficult at first, but the two rivals adjusted to being teammates.

“We’re supposed to be rivals, because he’s from Centreville and me from Trinity,” Logan said. “We had to get comfortable being teammates instead of rivals.”

The District 7 team only had one day of practice before playing its four tournament games, and Logan said the team handled the games well on little preparation.

“At first it was tough, but after the first game we got to know each other and went on from there,” Logan said.

Logan said the tournament featured the best of the best from the state and also drew scouts to watch the players perform.

“At first I was nervous, but after the first game it just went away,” he said.

Bell said he hopes his performance helped get his name out, and the tournament gave him a feel for baseball on the college level.

“It helps you get prepared for the next level,” he said. “We stayed in dorms, and it kind of gets you prepared for college life.”

Both players said tournaments like the State Games are preparing them for their senior seasons.

With two state championship rings already in his trophy case, Bell said he knows his senior year will be a challenge.

“Everybody is looking for us to be back, and we have the team to be back,” he said. “We just have to work hard in the offseason.”