NATCHEZ — The ultimate prize of the city championship was on the line Friday night as Natchez Market and Natchez Salvage battled it out in a T-ball contest.

Both teams were able to score plenty of runs, but it was Natchez Salvage who got the edge in a 26-24 win.

“The kids did good,” Natchez Salvage head coach Brandon Atkins said. “You never know what you are going to get when you come to the park, but they did really well today.”

After falling behind 3-0 in the first inning, Natchez Salvage was able to take control of the game and didn’t give up the lead the rest of the way.

Natchez Salvage plated seven runs in the bottom of the first and continued to pound the ball all game.

But Natchez Market wasn’t going down easy. Down, 26-17 after five innings, Natchez Market forced a sixth inning after recording the final out in the fifth with just one minute left in the game.

They went on to score seven more runs in the sixth, but it wasn’t enough to force Natchez Salvage to bat.

“The kids knew what tonight was about,” Natchez Market head coach Lance Beesley said. “We just got into a slump too early and couldn’t come back. Defensively, we made a lot of mistakes and we didn’t hit the ball as well as we usually do, but they are four, five and six year olds, and that is going to happen.”

The season has been a huge improvement for Natchez Market, who Beesley said went winless last season.

“The kids have improved a lot,” he said. “We lost the first two games and then went undefeated until this one, so they’ve really improved.”

Both sides had players have huge nights at the plate. For Natchez Salvage, Cooper Atkins had four RBI on four hits including a home run. Tamihanna Starr added six RBI with a home run as well.

For Natchez Market, Daulton Harveston had a big night going 5-for-5 with seven RBI and a home run. Levi Beesley also had a standout game with four RBI on five hits.

Ultimately, Atkins said as nice as it is to win, it is all about the kids.

“It was fun, and that is what we strived for as kids,” he said. “It is still that much fun even 20 years later. We’re out here for the kids, and seeing the look on their faces with the trophies is what it is all about.”