JONESVILLE, La. &045; The Ferriday Gators rallied from a 3-0 deficit to take a 4-3 win over Winnsboro in the opening game of the three-team district tournament at Jonesville Saturday.

The Gators trailed 3-0 after two but got a run in the third, two in the fifth and one in the sixth to take the lead before holding off a Winnsboro rally in the seventh to close it out. The game was tied at 3-3 in the sixth when Kassie Kennedy reached on an error, went to second on a groundout and went to third when Lauren Wagoner reached on an error.

That put runners at the corner, and the Gators executed a double steal. Winnsboro’s catcher made the hard throw to the pitcher meant as a decoy, but the throw was off and sailed into center field to allow Kennedy to score.

In the seventh Winnsboro made things interesting off Gators reliever Christy Corley. With one out Winnsboro got a walk, a hit batter and another walk to load the bases and put the winning run at second.

Winnsboro then lined one back to Corley, who threw to Jaimee Jordan at the plate for the second out before Jordan threw to Miranda Doughty at first for the game-ending double play.

&uot;It was tight,&uot; Ferriday coach Rut Horne said. &uot;It was ironic &045; the day before we practiced that home-to-first-type play probably 30 times, and it paid off.&uot;

In the third the Gators one in the third when Whitney Roark was hit by a pitch, moved to third on a Wagoner double and scored on an Erin Hedrick single.

The Gators got two in the fifth when Kennedy singled, moved up on a Wagoner single and scored when Hedrick put one in left center that fell in when Winnsboro’s left-fielder and center-fielder to collide.

Jordan then walked to load the bases, and Amber Smith walked to score Wagoner.