The first home run of Vantrell Reed’s life needed a fortuitous bounce to leave the park. His second didn’t bounce until it was almost to another park.

Reed hit two over-the-fence home runs Sunday, part of a 3-for-4, six-RBI performance that sent the Vicksburg Billies to a 22-10 win over the Madison Canes in the 6-year-olds’ Governor’s Cup championship game at Bazinsky Park.

“He hits the ball hard every time,” Billies coach Tim Shelton said. “This field is a little shorter than what we normally play on so we knew he was going to do it sometime this weekend, but we didn’t know when.”

James Trichell went 4-for-4 with a double and three RBIs for the Billies, and Kieran Theriot was 3-for-3 with an inside-the-park homer and three runs scored. It was Reed, though, who got the Billies started and kept them buzzing all afternoon.

After Thomas Phillips led off the game with a single and scored on Trichell’s RBI single, Reed hit a line drive to left that hit the top of the chain link fence and bounced over for a two-run home run. The Billies went on to score the maximum seven runs in the inning to put Madison behind the 8-ball early.

“Jumping out to a big lead always helps you. If you can get five, six, seven runs in the first inning, you’re always in the driver’s seat,” Shelton said. “Sometimes it’s an advantage to be the visiting team in these lower age groups.”

Vicksburg scored six more runs in the second to keep the pressure on, and took a 15-9 lead into the top of the fourth inning. A two-run single by Bradley Collins and Trichell’s RBI double stretched the lead to 19-9, and Reed came to the plate to put the finishing touches on the win.

He smacked a pitch well over the center field fence for his second home run of the game and a 22-9 lead. Madison managed one run in the bottom of the inning, but the game ended via the mercy rule.

It was the Billies’ first tournament victory in four tries this summer, and the only one for a Vicksburg team in the Governor’s Cup’s final weekend. Four city teams reached the semifinals in their respective age groups, but only the Billies made it as far as the championship game.

In an 11-year-olds’ semifinal, West Monroe Warhawks first baseman Dylan Ridgeway homered and scored three runs, and Wyatt Martin threw five strong innings in an 11-3 win over the Vicksburg Red Sox.

Martin scattered six hits and walked none in beating the Sox. The Warhawks blew the game open with four runs in the bottom of the fourth and four more in the fifth to win by the mercy rule. The Warhawks went on to beat the Diamond Dogs, 12-4, for the 11-year-olds’ championship.

Drake Dorbeck went 2-for-2 with a solo homer and two RBIs for the Red Sox.

“We finished in the top four. Winners don’t win every ballgame,” Red Sox coach Bo Magoun said. “Sometimes a loss is better than a win. You don’t win all your battles.”

Forest Hill 19, Xplosion 5

Eighteen straight runs landed Forest Hill in the Governor’s Cup 9-year-olds’ championship game against the Mississippi Machines.

Forest Hill’s flurry of runs came against the pitching-spent Vicksburg Xplosion for a 19-5 rout in a Sunday afternoon semifinal contest at Halls Ferry Park.

Rett Verhine led Vicksburg going 3-for-3 with two RBIs. Burris and Tanner Hutchins each drove in three to lead Forest Hill. Charlie Rooks allowed just two hits over four innings to grab the win.

Miss. Machines 14, Rage 2

Mississippi Machines made use of nine walks to take their semifinal game in the 9-year-olds’ division at the Governor’s Cup Sunday afternoon. Warner Adcock had two hits and scored three runs to lead the Machines out of Yazoo City.

Southwest 1, Vicksburg 0

Southwest Mississippi beat the Vicksburg All-Stars for the third time in 14-year-olds’ tournament action as Tyler Case and Austin Travis combined on a one-hitter.

GOVERNOR’S CUP CHAMPIONSHIP SCORES6-year-oldsVicksburg Billies 22, Madison 108-year-oldsWest Monroe Tigers 18Forest Hill Thunder 16, 7 innings9-year-oldsForest Hill 6, Miss. Machines 211-year-oldsWest Monroe Warhawks 12Diamond Dogs 414-year-oldsMiss. Red Sox 8, McComb 4