bude — The Natchez 9- and 10-year-old Dixie Youth All-Star team was battling its way through its elimination game Tuesday night until the wheels came off in the third inning.

The Natchez 9s and 10s held a 6-5 lead going into the bottom of the third inning when 13 walks and four errors led to 12 runs for the Lincoln County Nationals.

“It was a heartbreaking loss,” Natchez coach J.T. Robinson said. “It was a game where we scored five runs in the top of the first and end up losing 17-7 on walks and miscues. That was tough.”

Robinson said his players were “festive” after taking a 5-0 lead in the opening frame, but the huge inning for Lincoln County was too much to overcome. Natchez lost by the 10-run rule at the end of four innings.

Ben White took the loss for Natchez, and he was one of four pitchers Robinson used in the third inning when no one could find the strike zone.

Bankston Jordan had the highlight of the game for Natchez with his over-the-fence home run in the fourth inning. Dylan Troxler doubled in the game for Natchez.

The loss eliminated Natchez from the district tournament, but Robinson said his team could learn a lot from this summer’s all-star performance.

“The team played well,” he said. “They came together as a group. I hope they’ve learned things about the game of baseball. It’s a talented group of kids, and I expect to see them playing next year.”

All but two of the players on the team will move up to 11-year-old ball next season.

Robinson said he wanted to thank assistant coaches Michael Petty and Charles Jordan for helping the team this summer.