Sports can be more than just the final score of the game, which is what the Governor’s Cup baseball tournament aims to accomplish. While the Vicksburg Warriors beat Naturals Baseball in the Governor’s Cup 10-and-under championship 9-6 Sunday, the real beneficiary’s were the players on the field and the city of Vicksburg.

The Governor’s Cup is the major fundraiser for youth baseball in Vicksburg and Warren County.

“It’s bringing our youth together,” said President of the Vicksburg Warren Athletic Association and coach of the Vicksburg Nationals Josh Fairley. “That’s what our organization does, is serve the youth. Anytime that we’re investing in our youth it’s a very positive thing for our community.”

Fairley was excited to have a game representing players from the Vicksburg Warren County community.

The Warriors jumped to an early 5-0 lead in the first two innings, and hit the ball deep into the outfield through out the game. The Naturals scored three runs in the sixth-inning trying to close the gap before getting their final out on a third strike.

“A very aggressive approach at the plate, disciplined but aggressive. I think that was a big key factor between the two teams. We jumped on that first pitch strike, we didn’t wait for a second strike or a third strike,” Fairley said.

Sunday’s game between the Warriors and the Naturals was a difficult matchup, given the age difference between the teams. The Warriors are a year older than the 9-year-old Naturals.

Automatically, there were going to be some physical differences between the teams, and it showed in the hitting power from the Warriors.

Vicksburg Warriors pitcher Conner Watkins went 3-for-3 in five innings and struckout 7 players, including game-winning out for the Naturals.

“It was hard,” said Naturals coach Wayne Lynch. “When you’re playing kids a year older than you, they’re a little bit stronger, a little bit bigger and throw the ball a little bit harder. Hitting was a downfall for us there in the beginning.”

For the Naturals, Lynch had his team focusing on getting better each time and improving on their game. Lynch said coming in second to a team a year older than his players is a confidence booster and will carry over into their regular season.

His team learned how to fight and compete from the tournament. Lynch said they learned how to put the ball in play and do the small things.

“If we continue to do that then we’ll keep making it to championships and giving ourselves a chance to win. This game we played real well. We got behind real early and just continued to fight back. They never quit,” Lynch said.