PEARL – Vicksburg High’s Jordan Henry and Warren Central’s Eric Douglas combined for all five runs batted in for the North in its 5-4 win over the South All-Stars at the 32nd Crossroads Diamond Classic Saturday afternoon at Trustmark Park.

Henry, an Ole Miss signee, drove in three runs off two hits and was named the North’s Offensive MVP.

Douglas, a Hinds Community College signee, brought in two off a sacrifice fly and a bases-loaded walk.

While the two local products accounted for the North’s runs, they still needed Northwest Rankin’s Jordan King to help save the day in the bottom of the ninth.

The South, which had just two hits through eight innings, belted three straight off King to start the ninth. The third hit, by West Jones’ Ian Sharp, made it 5-4.

A bunt loaded the bases, putting Sharp on second with the winning run. King, though, got a shallow fly out to left and then struck out John Randall Moore and Jeremy Davis of Harrison Central to end the game.

After receiving his MVP trophy, Henry was in a hurry to meet his parents and head up to Ole Miss to watch older brother Justin play in the NCAA Tourament’s Oxford Regional.

&#8220Yeah, it’s been a busy weekend for my parents,” Jordan Henry said. &#8220They were at the game last night (Ole Miss’ 3-2 win over Bethune-Cookman). Then they came down here today to see me play. And now, we’re all leaving to go back to Oxford for the rest of the tournament.”

Henry, a shortstop at VHS, started the game in right field. He led off the game against Lawrence County’s Jake Russell with a strike out after eight pitches. He reached on an error in the third and then took off the fourth and fifth innings.

He came back to bat in the sixth with the North trailing 3-1. He laced a single off East Central’s J.R. Bollinger to score Brock Mosley and make it 3-2.

Douglas, who knocked in the North’s first run in the fifth on a fly ball to left, tied it at 3-3 by drawing a bases-loaded walk.

In the seventh, Henry found himself in another two-on, two-out situation. He was able to get just enough of Collin Cargill’s 2-2 pitch to squib past shortstop Jeffrey Kovacevich for a single that scored Tyson Lee and Drew Snider for a 5-3 lead.

&#8220I just wanted to get a bat on the ball and I just got enough. It found an opening,” Henry said.

Douglas made one of the best plays of the game defensively when he snagged a line-drive smash off the bat of Hendrick Leverette.

&#8220It was hit so hard, I didn’t have any time to think,” Douglas said. &#8220I haven’t had a ball hit right at me that hard all year.”

Getting two RBIs and snagging that catch made it an all-around good week for Douglas.

&#8220It was a wonderful week and a lot of fun,” said Douglas who is playing this summer with a team comprised of Hinds Community College freshmen.

Kevin Parker of Class 4A champion Lafayette County got the win by pitching three scoreless innings from the fifth to the seventh. He had six of the North’s 14 strikeouts.

Cargill, who led Hattiesburg to the Class 5A championship, took the loss despite striking out six in three innings of work.