NATCHEZ &045; After one team finally broke, after the hats and gloves had filled the sky like hot air balloons for October’s Great Mississippi River Balloon Race, Confederate League assistant coach Boo Brumfield lured head coach Al Hall over for a phony post-game conversation Friday at Ballew-Bowlin Field.

Naturally, Brumfield faced the dugout, so Hall’s back would be turned when Confederate outfielder Adam Kaiser led the water cooler brigade.

At the last minute, Hall heard the footsteps and sidestepped much of the waterfall, but the attempted prank didn’t deter the Confederate coach from declaring, &uot;we’re going to DQ (Dairy Queen) to get ourselves a Blizzard.&uot;

&uot;That’s the best game I’ve ever been in,&uot; Hall said of the, 4-2, extra-inning triumph over the Rebel League to capture Game 2 and the best-of-three all-star city championship series. &uot;This is a great group of kids, and they never stop fighting for us. That other team came to play tonight.&uot;

With two outs, in a 2-2 tie and a man on first in his team’s half of the eighth, Confederate third-sacker Heath White dribbled a grounder to first, and it looked like the Rebels were out of the inning.

The ball skirted under the Rebels’ first baseman’s glove and into right field, scoring Tyler Brumfield when the throw home was late.

Rebel catcher Christopher Perry’s throw to cut down White taking second rolled to the fence in center field, allowing White to put the Confederate League up by a pair of runs.

&uot;We had that one bad mistake and that turned the game around,&uot; Rebel League head coach Tom Middleton said. &uot;In games like those, that’s what is going to do it. If we’re going to lose, that’s the kind of game I want it to be &045; right down to the wire.&uot;

The pitcher’s duel, which saw each team’s starter go the allowed seven innings, was a stark contrast from the 12-2 lashing the Confederate League handed out Thursday.

The Confederate League clung to its 1-0 lead, which it acquired in the second on a sacrifice fly from Kaiser, behind the venerable arm of Ryan Goddard for three full innings.

&uot;Ryan came through for us. I think I was more worried than he was,&uot; said Hall, who dished out game balls to Goddard, Taylor Strahan and Collin Hammons for their respective efforts. &uot;He was so cool out there and played excellently defensively for us on the mound.&uot;

But in the fourth, Rebel leadoff man Garrett Smith tied the game when he began the bottom half of the inning with a single over shortstop Smiley Dunaway’s head.

After a bunt sacrificed him to second, Smith stole third and scored when Caleb Upton’s sac fly to center evened things up.

&uot;I’m proud of the way they responded tonight,&uot; Middleton said. &uot;They played like the team I know they are. It really was a great game. If you didn’t like that, then you didn’t like baseball.&uot;

Rebel starter Tyler Morrison was just as effective as Goddard. After surrendering the initial run in the second, Morrison didn’t allow a Confederate runner to third.

That is until Dylan Pressgrove tripled and scored on the same play with two outs in the seventh to give the Confederate League a 2-1 advantage.

&uot;It’s hard to believe these are 9- and 10-year-olds sometimes,&uot; Confederate assistant coach Curtis Moroney said. &uot;This is a real good age group, and I think we’re going to see a lot out of these kids in the future for Natchez sports.&uot;

The Rebel League’s backs were against the wall again in the bottom of the seventh. Down to its last out, after Goddard made a diving stab to his right to snare a hot liner and Dunaway threw out Smith from his knees, the Rebel League had one last breath.

Second baseman Hunter Hatcher sliced a double into the left field where the ball trickled under Kent Yates’ glove. Hunter raced to third, where the throw was off the mark, and he scampered home to knot the game up.

&uot;When you get a group like this, you know they’re going to have the ability,&uot; Middleton said. &uot;The trick to moving on is getting the team chemistry right. That’s the big intangible, and I think it’s finally coming together.

&uot;They’re up. They know that there is still life. They’re proud of themselves for bouncing back after (Thursday) &045; they’re not use to getting whipped like that.&uot;

These two teams will host a five-team sub-district tournament next week.