In a game filled with errors and wild pitches, it would have been inappropriate for Friday night’s game between Natchez High and Cathedral to have the winning run score any other way. Natchez’s Floyd Newman scored what ended up being the winning run on a wild pitch in the bottom of the sixth inning for a wild 9-8 win over the Green Wave at Chester Willis Field.

With the win, the Bulldogs improve to 6-2 and are just two wins away from matching their win total of a year ago.

Lance Harveston came on in relief for Brock Barlow and was the winning pitcher, giving up no earned runs and only two hits while striking out five and walking one in 3 2/3 innings.

&uot;Lance came in for Brock and threw well,&uot; said Natchez head coach Michael Lindsey. &uot;Brock gave us three or four good innings as well.&uot;

Barlow gave up four earned runs on five hits, struck out two and walked three in 3 1/3 innings.

&uot;I didn’t think we played that well. We made some mental mistakes. But a win’s a win and I’ll take it any way we can get it,&uot; Lindsey said. &uot;We had one big inning and that helped us.&uot;

That one big inning was the bottom of the first inning. After Cathedral jumped to a quick 1-0 lead on Clay Hammons’ RBI single in the top of the first, Natchez exploded for six runs.

Barlow and Leon Stewart led off things for Natchez with back-to-back triples, followed by a double by Brian Kossum, a single by Nolan Coward and a Marques Kinds walk.

Harveston then hit a groundout that allowed Coward to score, Kinds scored on a wild pitch from third and Newman singled to bring in Carl Hayes. Just like that, it was 6-1 in favor of the homestanding Bulldogs.

&uot;Natchez High put the pressure on us,&uot; said Cathedral head coach Ken Beesley Sr. &uot;This was the first game our defense let us down.&uot;

Charlie Norris was relieved for his brother, Chris Norris, after getting only one out in the first. Chris Norris kept the Green Wave in the game by keeping Natchez’s batters in check, allowing only one earned run and one hit in 5 2/3 innings in taking the loss. But it was the two unearned runs that proved to be costly for Cathedral (4-1-1).

&uot;Chris Norris came in and pitched a good game for us,&uot; Beesley said. &uot;If there was one positive thing that came out of this game, that was it.&uot;

Cathedral tied the game with five runs in the top of the third on only two hits, including Key Smith’s RBI single, then took a 7-6 lead an inning later when Chris Norris singled and later scored on a Hammons ground ball out. Natchez took advantage of a pair of Cathedral errors and a wild pitch to retake the lead at 8-7 when Barlow reached on one error and scored on another error. Stewart singled and later scored on a wild pitch.

&uot;There’s no excuse for the mental errors,&uot; Beesley said.

Cathedral tied the score at eight when Scott McLemore singled and scored on an error.

In the bottom of the sixth, Newman advanced to first when he was hit by a pitch, moved to third on when Calvin Jackson grounded out to first and scored on the wild pitch by Chris Norris.

And, after all that, Harveston struck out the side in the top of the seventh to end the game.

&uot;I didn’t think I was going to do that,&uot; he said. &uot;I was throwing good. My fastball worked good. All the errors made it a close game, but I knew our hitting would bring us back.&uot;

Natchez returns to Division 6-5A play when it hosts Forest Hill next Tuesday starting with the JV game at 4 p.m. followed by the varsity game at 6 p.m.

Cathedral returns to Division 6-2A play when it plays at Wesson next Tuesday, starting with the JV game at 5 p.m., followed by the varsity game at 7 p.m.