[07/14/02]It took the Vicksburg Barracudas an extra day, but the 12-year-olds’ all-star team made the most of their Saturday beating Ripley in the day’s first game, then shocking favored Long Beach.

Chris Whittington’s two-RBI single in the top of the sixth inning completed a late comeback as the Barracudas upended Long Beach, 7-5.

The Gulf Coast team, widely predicted to win the tournament, scored five runs in the first inning, but went scoreless for the final five behind the strong pitching of Andrew Brown, who ended the game with five strikeouts.

Trailing 5-2 in the fifth inning, the Barracudas scored two runs in the fifth, then added added the deciding three in the fifth.

Austin Barber, Chris May and Jeremy Jackson got three hits in a row to lead off the sixth. Cody Barfield reached on an error to score Barber and tie the game 5-5. Whittington followed with his shot to give the Barracudas the two-run lead.

Matt Cranfield had a double and a triple to lead the Barracudas.

Vicksburg now meets nemesis Meridian in the semifinals of the double-elimination tournament today at 6 p.m.

Vicksburg 9, Columbus 3

Vernon Wolfe pitched the second straight no hitter as the Vicksburg Diamondbacks’ 13-year-olds’ all-stars beat Columbus, 9-3, on Saturday in a game completion of a game that got rained out Friday.

Wolfe walked four and allowed three runs in the first inning. He also had a double.

Nicholas Carson had a double, triple and three RBIs, while Andy Anderton and Stanley Bufkin each had two singles in the win.

The Diamondbacks lost the second game, 13-3, to Meridian.

Vicksburg will play either Long Beach of Columbus today at 3 p.m.