Here’s a good measuring stick for you.

Remember when Pineville went into Vidalia at the start of the season and everything that could have gone wrong for the Vikings in the field did? Saturday the Vikings returned the favor by going to Pineville, and this time they nearly pulled it off.

The Rebels rallied for two runs in their last at-bat to take the 3-2 win, but losing like that to the No. 6 team in Class 4A at least was easier to swallow than that first meeting.

&uot;We played our best defensive game of the year,&uot; Vidalia head coach Johnny Lee Hoffpauir said. &uot;We did a lot of the little things you have to do to win &045; except get the runners in with a key base hit. It was just a well-played high school game. We just happened to come up short.&uot;

The Vikings had a 2-1 lead heading into the last inning with Tony Godbold and Brett Hinson holding the home team to just two hits. Godbold left after facing a couple of batters in the fourth without getting an out, and Hinson went the rest of the way.

Hinson got the first out in the seventh before walking a batter, and that’s when things went awry. The next batter popped one into the outfield, but it fell in and took a funny hop to get past the outfielder for a double.

The next batter singled, and the throw to home was on the money but just a split second too late as the Rebels tied the score. Hinson retired the next batter for the second out, but the cleanup hitter then lined a double into right center to score the final run and end the game.

&uot;It’s just one of those things,&uot; Hoffpauir said. &uot;It was a tough, tough loss because we played so well. But we learned from it. The kids know they can compete. We’re 18-4 now, and that’s not too bad. We weren’t intimidated, and I love that part of it. The fans for both sides got to see one of the better-played high school games of the year.&uot;

That final inning was about the only trouble Hinson got in as he continues to make a comeback from arm problems last month. Both he and Godbold struggled a bit with control as they combined to walk eight, but Hinson pitched well against a good team and may be on track to get back to where he was.

&uot;Brett pitched fine,&uot; Hoffpauir said. &uot;His speed is not where we want it right now. It’s not where it was before he got a sore arm. Before it’s over, he’ll get back where he was. He was having a little trouble with his curveball, but it was better than his last outing. He’s going to be fine.&uot;

The Vikings’ bats fared better against Pineville ace Heath Hennigan, a Northwestern State signee. Hennigan struck out 12 in the first meeting, but the Vikings piled up 10 hits this time &045; just never the one that could ignite a rally.

The Vikings had the bases loaded twice with less than two outs and came up empty. They had runners on second and third with less than two outs and couldn’t score.

&uot;We had some good at-bats against him,&uot; Hoffpauir said. &uot;We were real patient. We’ve seen everybody’s No. 1. In the long run, that’s helped us. We got to see some good pitching.&uot;

ANOTHER SHOT &045; The Natchez High Bulldogs have their last shot at getting their first division win in four seasons Tuesday when they wrap up Division 6-5A play at Forest Hill as the season comes to a close.

Yet regardless of the outcome, the Bulldogs have at least played better this season and exceeded expectations after the team lost a core group of seniors last season.

The Bulldogs have games with Port Gibson and Franklin County remaining.

&uot;That’s what behooves me,&uot; NHS head coach Charlie Williams said. &uot;We had more talent last year, but this year we seem to be doing better. This group seems to listen a little more. They pretended to know, but they made as many errors or more than these kids are making. They’re doing a lot better job. Like I tell them, keep on and we’ll keep playing and learning as we go. Next year I say we’ll be able to make some noise. But we’ve got to continue to work hard.&uot;

The Bulldogs have won more games this season than the previous two seasons combined. They’ve struggled against division powers Vicksburg and Warren Central this spring before losing a tough one to Forest Hill two weeks ago.

&uot;I see a little bit (of improvement),&uot; WC head coach Randy Broom said. &uot;They had a lot of young ones in the lineup. They’re a little bit like we were a couple years ago, with a bunch of young guys and only one or two older players. But they have a lot of freshman and sophomores, so anything can happen for them.&uot;

A big plus was the resurgence of catcher C.J. Wright, who slammed two home runs Friday in a doubleheader against Jefferson County. Wright has struggled at times this season at the plate, but he muscled one out in the gap Friday to help bring his average up close to .400.

&uot;He’s been overdue for that,&uot; Williams said. &uot;He should have had those in the first couple of weeks. He’s being impatient. He wants to hit it so bad he’s over-swinging. Finally it seems like he’s getting it down pat. This is really the first day he’s hit extra bases. Basically he’s been hitting singles up the middle.&uot;

FINAL WEEK &045; Cathedral is the only team finished with its Division 7-1A schedule, and that’s a good thing. Now the Green Wave have four tough games slated for the week as a tuneup for the playoffs when it hosts the four-team regional next week.

The Green Wave (19-2) travels to Franklin County Tuesday, hosts Vidalia Thursday and plays Brookhaven and Magee Saturday at Brookhaven.

&uot;It’ll be a tough week,&uot; CHS head coach Craig Beesley said. &uot;But it’s something we planned earlier in the year. It’s going to be an interesting week of baseball.&uot;

Now the Wave is just hoping to build on Thursday’s dramatic win over St. Aloysius to post its second straight undefeated season in division play. The Wave had to fight off a pesky St. Al club in perhaps its toughest win in the last two seasons in division.

That’s the kind of game coaches wanted to see with the playoffs on the horizon.

&uot;It was something we needed,&uot; Beesley said. &uot;We’ve had a lot of blowouts lately, and you never know how you’re going to react in a close game after a blowout win. It was a good game to see how our kids would react under a pressure situation.&uot;

Christian Schmidt contributed to this report.