The Vicksburg Sting started Sunday’s Governor’s Cup semifinals with two perfect innings. The Madison Thunder ended with two perfect innings, another nearly flawless game, and the first-place trophy.

The Thunder hit three solo home runs and scored seven times in its last two at-bats to beat the Sting 7-5 in the 10-year-olds’ Cup semifinals at Halls Ferry Park. The Thunder then blasted the Madison Mission, 19-3, in the championship game.

Sting coach Scott Verhine was elated with the effort of his team despite the loss. The team, which has a AA rating in USSSA, went 17-6 this tournament season and gave the AAA-rated Thunder all it could handle on Sunday.

“We had a great summer and the kids fought hard all season,” Verhine said. “You have to give credit to the Thunder. They are a AAA team and we’ve seen them several times this summer and that’s why I think today was the best game we’ve played all summer. The difference between us is that they are a select team that draws from several towns while we are a Vicksburg-only team. Our kids play in our rec league and then we go out and play some AA tournaments and some open ones, like the Governor’s Cup. We were 13-2 against other AA teams and 17-6 overall, so it was a great year.”

It may have been better for the Sting had its pitchers kept the ball down.

The Thunder’s Matt Crowder hit a solo home run to start the third inning and Hayden White followed with a two-out solo shot to make it 4-2. An error followed by an RBI single from Matthew Myers made it 4-3.

White, the Thunder reliever, held the Sting scoreless in the third. The Thunder then struck for four runs to grab a 7-4 lead. Zach James tied the game with a solo home run. Paco Bello reached on a walk and then scored on a throwing error to give the Thunder the lead at 5-4. Dalton Jackson and Cole Whitfield plated the next two runs with a sacrifice fly and an RBI single, respectively.

The Sting got a run back in the fourth when Josh Lieberman doubled and scored on a single by Landon Middleton.

The Sting opened the game quickly, getting three runs in the first. Bryce Wood led off with a homer, Lieberman followed with an RBI single and Camden Kurtz scored on an error.

The Sting finished with six hits, led by Lieberman’s pair. Josh Brown pitched the first three innings and left with a no-decision as Kurtz got the loss in relief. White went two innings to grab the win, allowing just one hit. James got the last out for the save.

In other Governor’s Cup championship games on Sunday:

• The Vicksburg Billies completed an undefeated run through the 7-year-olds’ bracket by routing the Mudcats 14-1 in the championship game. The Billies went 4-0 to win their second consecutive Governor’s Cup championship. They also won the 6-year-olds’ tournament last year.

• The Lumberjacks from Brandon knocked off the Bayou Bandits, the top-rated USSSA team in Louisiana, 4-3 in the semifinals and then turned a game-ending line-drive double play to defeat the Northwest Rankin Thunder 5-1 in the 12-year-olds’ championship game. The Lumberjacks finished 5-0 in the tournament.

The Vicksburg Pirates lost to the Lumberjacks 14-0 in the quarterfinals while the Mississippi Madness, also of Vicksburg, lost to the Thunder 8-4 in the quarterfinals.

• The Mississippi Sliders, ranked No. 5 nationally in USSSA, got a two-run single from Jake Mangum in the bottom of the sixth inning to beat Renegade Baseball 4-3 in the finals of the 13-year-olds’ tournament. Renegade came in as the top-ranked USSSA team in Louisiana.

Vicksburg Baseball reached the semifinals by upending the Bandits 15-2 on Sunday morning, but lost to Renegade 14-1. In two Cup games against the powerful Louisiana squad, Vicksburg was outscored 26-1.

Also Sunday, the Vicksburg Gators lost to Hazlehurst-based Coalition 13-11 in the first round of elimination games.

• The Vicksburg Cannon finished second in a Saturday makeup round of the 6-year-olds’ tournament that was postponed from last week. The Madison Missions defeated the Cannon 9-0 to win the title.

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Contact Jeff Byrd at jbyrd@vicksburgpost.com