The Concordia All-Stars raced out to a 7-2 lead after the first inning and never looked back as it topped the Natchez Nationals 20-11 Friday in a T-ball youth tournament at the Vidalia Concordia Recreational Center.

Concordia kept the pressure on by scoring seven more in the second and six more in the third en route to winning the game in three innings.

“They hit the ball well,” Concordia coach Whest Shirley said. “This is our first outing as a team. We had a tournament before, but not with everyone together.”

Tristan Laurent and Jackson Shirley each drove in a pair of runs to lead Concordia at the plate. Laurent’s big hit came in the third with an inside-the-park home run.

The Nationals responded after the disappointing first with seven runs in the second and adding two more in the third.

“We’re focusing on just playing the best that we can,” Natchez Nationals coach Justin Lees said. “Hit the ball, field the ball and do what we can.”

Lees said his squad is primarily compiled of 4 and 5 year olds and will be facing teams with older ages throughout the weekend and in next week’s Dixie Youth District Tournament in which his Nationals squad will host along with the Natchez Americans.

“They’re mainly 6 and some 7 year olds,” Lees said. “We want to work on baserunning and listening to the coaches better, the basics — fielding and hitting the ball. At this age, it’s all attention span. That’s the hardest part.”

Austin Jex, Walker Lazarus and Cooper Johnson all had two RBIs to lead Natchez. John Davis Lees, Paxton Kaiser, Kameron Chatmon and Trey Searcy chipped in with a run-scoring hit.

The Nationals will be back in action at 9 a.m. today when it faces West Monroe, while Concordia will face Franklin County at 10 a.m.

“They’re having fun,” Shirley said. “They’re learning the game of baseball and having a good time.”