Friday, July 4, 2008 (Southaven, Miss.)  -- Dark clouds rumbled through, the humidity reached uncomfortable levels and a warm breeze wafted across the baseball fields at Snowden Grove Park, but the teams that survived the first five days of the NABF World Classics were focused on just one thing – winning championship gold.

Three days of Round Robin pool play, followed by 46 games on Thursday, prepared the survivors for Friday’s semi-finals and finals. Winners were crowned in four age divisions – 13-year-olds, 11-year-olds, 10-year-olds and nine-year-olds.

In their first year as a travel team, the Southern Jaguars of Atlanta, Ga., have played well enough to earn a No. 21 ranking by www.travelballselect.com. On Friday, however, head coach Ron Smith’s squad needed every bit of talent and luck the players could muster as they faced the Team Collierville (Tenn.) Dragons in the division finals.

On Friday morning, the Jaguars downed the Germantown (Tenn.) Giants, 9-3, while the Dragons edged the Cincinnati (Ohio) Riverbats, 9-8, to advance to the championship game.

In the finals, the Jaguars jumped out early as lead-off hitter Joshua Terry drew first blood as he scored to put the team up, 1-0. Terry added two more runs in his next three at-bats, in the third and fourth innings.

Daniel Kinchens also contributed multiple runs, scoring in the third and sixth innings. His second run proved to be the game winner in a 9-8 decision.

The Jaguars scored one run in the first inning, three in the third, four in the fourth and one in the sixth.

But the Dragons proved they could also make it around the bases. After spotting the Jaguars to a 1-0 advantage in the top of the first inning, Team Collierville took the lead with two runs in the bottom of the inning.

The Cathey twins, Parker and Peyton, each crossed the plate to make the score 2-1. The Dragons added three more runs in the second as Peyton once again rounded the bases for his second run of the afternoon.

Team Collierville was held scoreless in the third and fourth innings, but added three more runs in the fifth to tie the game at 8-8 heading into the sixth.

Kinchens broke the tie and gave the Southern Jaguars the win in the last inning, thanks to an RBI by teammate Brandon Singleton.

Based on coaches’ recommendations, the following players were named to the All-Tournament Team: Terry, Jordan Thomas, Kinchens and Singleton, all from the Southern Jaguars; the Cathey brothers, Conrad Ray and Ayrton Schafer, all from Team Collierville; Rory Callihan, Johnny Shutrump, Andrew Niehaus and Nigel Williams, all from the Cincinnati Riverbats; and Preston Collins, Logan Farmer, Connor Haymon and Colin Rains, all from the Germantown Giants.

Coaches nominated players from their own squads. Only teams that qualified for the semi-finals were eligible to place players on the All-Tournament list.

Southern Jaguars, winners of the 10U division at the June 29 - July 4 NABF World Classics in Southaven, Mississippi.

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