[7/6/03]The Vicksburg Angels were eliminated from the 9-year-olds’ Cal Ripken State Tournament on Saturday before the rains poured down and postponed play for the second straight day.

After losing the opening game 2-1 to Orange Grove, the Angels seemed to have things in hand in their losers’ bracket game against Clinton.

With the game tied 3-3, Vicksburg’s Clyde Kendrick led off the sixth inning with a triple and scored soon after on a wild pitch.

Clinton’s Whit Kendall then struck out the next three batters to give his team a chance in the bottom of the inning.

Clinton then scored two runs on a bizarre throwing error to win the game and eliminate the Angels from the tournament.

Kendrick garnered three of Vicksburg’s four hits with a single, double and triple. Heath Skelton nearly mirrored Kendrick’s performance with three of Clinton’s four hits.

Cody Waddell took the loss for Vicksburg, and Kendall picked up the win. Clinton will face Stone County in its next game today.

Earlier in the day, North Jackson came back in the final inning to defeat Clinton.

North Jackson scored four runs with two outs in the top of the sixth inning. John Morgan Berry hit a two-RBI single to put N. Jackson ahead for good as Will Puckett pitched a scoreless sixth for the save.

Ryan Buchanan, who picked up the win, led his team with two singles. Skelton and Kendall each had two hits for Clinton.

North Jackson advanced to face Orange Grove.

In second round play, Central Mississippi easily handled Oxford, 17-6.

Central Miss. scored at least one run in each inning, including six in the fourth. John Laster, Todd Stewart and Tyler Gray each had two hits for Central Miss.

Al Graham, Tyler Beckham and Jake Yarbrough each contributed two hits in the losing effort.

Central Miss will face the loser of North Jackson and Orange Grove.

In the opening rounds of the 8-year-olds’ tournament, the Vicksburg Mudcats jumped out to a big early lead against the Clinton Heat and never looked back, winning 17-7 after four innings.

The Mudcats’ second game against Bayou View was postponed and resumes today.

The Vicksburg Tigers couldn’t lost 6-2 to Long Beach. The Tigers fall to the losers’ bracket and face Jeff Davis.

After giving up six in the top of the sixth, Jeff Davis came back with five in the bottom half to win 16-15 over Bay St. Louis.

In the second round, North Jackson National shut down Jeff Davis in four innings, 11-0.

North Jackson American defeated both Vancleave, 12-8, and Stone County, 2-0, to set up a North Jackson showdown in the third round.