VIDALIA — A slew of area youth baseball teams descended on the Vidalia Recreation Complex approximately two weekends ago, attempting to stake their claim as the best in the Miss-Lou.

Only one team stood alone.

The Natchez Natives won three of four contests, including powering past Full Swing 14-11 in the championship game of the 7-8 year-old division at the Dixie Youth Spring Open.

The Natchez Natives dropped their first contest before rallying to win their final three.

“When we started out, the bats weren’t swinging,” head coach Travis Smith said. “We played some outstanding teams, and they hit the ball on us.”

But the Natives eventually found their groove as it exploded for 14 runs in the championship game.

“It was an all-around good game,” Smith said. “You want to see a close, good ball game, and that’s what baseball is all about.”

Smith said the team was compiled last June and played through the month of October together.

It was rough sledding at first for the Natchez Natives, Smith said, but the team came together at the right time to register a second-place finish at a highly contested baseball tournament in Hattiesburg.

“It was rough going at first,” Smith said. “We played some of out-of-town teams and suffered some losses. The kids have come a long way, and they’ve learned a lot … they know ball now. When we started out we had kids that didn’t know what was going on.”

Smith said as a coach, the most rewarding aspect is witnessing a player progressing to play at peak level.

“You start out, and most kids don’t know what they’re doing at the T-ball level,”

Smith said. “But by the time they are reaching this age, it’s all clicking and there understanding the game, developing skills, and it’s all coming together. From a coach’s standpoint, that’s what you want.”

Smith said the team is currently not participating in games together as each player is currently playing for their respective Dixie Youth squad. Smith noted, however, the team still gets together to practice on the weekends to maintain the camaraderie.

“I’m pretty sure all the kids want to travel still, and we’re just on hold,” Smith said. “They’re playing two games a week in Dixie Youth, so we’re just kind of on the backburner right now. We plan on what we did last year and playing from June to October.”