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ENTERPRISE — After winning four games in a row, the Natchez High School Bulldogs have now lost two straight games after a rough 10-1 loss to the Loyd Star Attendance Center Hornets last Saturday afternoon at the Lincoln County Tournament held at Enterprise Attendance Center.

Errors and not being able to get key base hits hurt Natchez High in a big way. The Bulldogs committed five errors and could not get what turned out to be their only run of the game until the top of the fourth inning of this five-inning contest.

“The main thing is we had five errors and they only out-hit us by just two. Errors are what hurt us,” Natchez High head coach Dan Smith said. “Against a good team like that, you can’t have that many errors. In baseball, you can’t give them 40 outs.”

Loyd Star starting and winning pitcher Nathan Mills did his part to help the Hornets on the mound. He gave up just one base hit, struck out three, and walked only one in his two innings. Twenty-five of his 35 pitches went for strikes. Mills also had three runs batted in thanks to a pair of walks and a fielder’s choice.

And he got plenty of run support when the Hornets were at the plate. They scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning and four more runs in the bottom of the second.

Eli Thornton came on in relief and gave up one earned run on four hits with two strikeouts and one walk over two innings. The Bulldogs’ Daiquiri Gaylor singled off Thornton and later scored in the top of the fourth to make it a 6-1 game. Thornton went 1-for-2 at the plate.

But the Hornets would respond with one run in the bottom of the fourth and three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Loyd Star improved to 6-1 with the win.

Minor led Natchez High at the plate, going 2-for-3. Jaylin Neal was 1-for-2 and Martavis Woods was 1-for-3 and committed three of the Bulldogs’ five errors.

“We hit the ball well. We put the ball in play,” Smith said.

Natchez High (4-3) will play Vicksburg High School on Monday at Chester Willis Field with the junior varsity game at 5 p.m., followed by the varsity game at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs then travel north to take on the Port Gibson High School Blue Waves on Tuesday with the JV game at 5 p.m. and the varsity game at 7 p.m.