A two-run home run by R.G. Willis lifted the Vicksburg Billies into the semifinals of the 9-year-olds’ Governor’s Cup on Saturday.

Willis’ shot came with two outs in the third inning and proved to be the difference in the Billies’ 5-3 elimination-round win over the Vicksburg Blue Jays. The Billies (3-0) moved on to face the top-seeded Sheets (2-0) today at 10 a.m.

The game was tied at 3 when Willis stepped in against Blue Jays reliever Caleb Sterling. Willis just missed a home run to right on a 1-0 pitch, when his shot veered foul by a few feet. He then adjusted and blasted a line drive that carried over the fence in deep center.

“I just had to wait for it,” Willis said. “He (Sterling) throws hard, but I’m used to that. It was exciting to hit a home run.”

The loss for the Blue Jays ended their season, but coach Nathan Karel was pleased with his team’s performance. The Jays won two tournaments this summer, finished second in another and placed fifth in the USSSA state tournament.

“We were 22-4 against AA teams coming into this tournament, but lost three close games this weekend. Just made some base running mistakes. We got guys to second and third in the last at-bat, but couldn’t get them in to tie the game. The one good swing beat us,” Karel said.

The Billies turned a game-ending double play to end the Blue Jays’ last threat in the fourth inning. First baseman James Trichell’s relay throw back to catcher Thomas Trichell at the plate was in time to catch the Jays’ Trevor Flaharty for the third out.

Landon Bull walked and scored on an error in the first inning for a 1-0 Blue Jays lead. The Billies answered with three runs in the bottom of the first. Shane Lewis singled to right to score Kieran Theriot. Vantrell Reed later scored on Thomas Trichell’s fielder’s choice and Lewis came in off a bases-loaded walk.

The Blue Jays got two runs in the second inning to tie the game. Hagger Fortenberry walked and later scored on Haden Luke’s two-out hit. Luke came around to tie the game off an error.

Sterling struck out his first two batters to begin the Billies’ third inning but a wild pitch on a third strike allowed Lewis to reach, setting up Willis’ home run.

Lewis got the pitching win in relief of starter Phillip Upshaw.

Billies manager Tim Shelton was glad to get past a fellow Vicksburg team and on to today’s semifinals.

“This was the third time to play them and we had split the first two,” Shelton said. “They have two really fine pitchers in Trell Bershell and Caleb Sterling. Both of them throw strikes.”

The Billies weren’t the only Vicksburg team that advanced on Saturday:

• The Vicksburg Braves went 2-0 in pool play and earned a bye into the quarterfinals of the 11-year-olds’ tournament. The Braves, who finished second in last week’s 10-year-olds’ bracket and are playing up an age group, outscored their two pool play opponents 29-8.

Also in the 11-year-olds’ division, the Warren County Cardinals earned the top seed in the elimination round. They’ll face the eighth-seeded Lions today at 10 a.m.

• The Vicksburg Crosscutters finished pool play in the 16-year-olds’ tournament with a 1-1 mark after a 7-6 win over the Port Gibson Jaguars. It was the second one-run loss of the tournament for Port Gibson.