MOULTRIE — Twice facing elimination on Tuesday in the GRPA District III tournament at the Magnolia Sports Complex, the Colquitt County 14-and-under all-stars defeated Worth County and Tift County and will meet Tift County again at 5:30 p.m. today for the district title.

Colquitt County, which fell to Tift County 15-2 on Monday, got some measure of revenge by dealing Tift its first tournament loss in Tuesday’s final game by a 17-16 score.

That leaves Colquitt County and Tift County each with one tournament loss, forcing today’s 5:30 p.m. deciding game.

Colquitt County exploded for eight runs in the second inning and rolled on to a 14-3 victory to eliminate Worth County in Tuesday’s first game.

In that second inning, Colquitt County first baseman Bryce Giddens connected on a grand slam and one out later Aubrey McCarty cracked a two-run home run.

The championship game against Tift County started inauspiciously for Colquitt County.

Tift scored five runs in the top of the first, including four on a grand slam by pitcher Parks Casey.

But Colquitt County countered by sending 11 batters to the plate in the bottom of the first, scoring eight times.

Colquitt hit three home runs in the inning, including a three-run shot by catcher Vann Pitts.

Austin Dykes had a two-run homer and McCarty hit his second of the night, a solo shot.

Tift countered by scoring three runs in the top of the second to tie the game. Cody Mitchell had a two-run homer for Tift in the inning.

But Colquitt continued to pound the ball in the bottom of the second, scoring four more runs, including two on a homer to left by Daren Kent.

Both Colquitt County teams playing in the 10-and-under boys District III tournament in Cordele were defeated on Tuesday.

The Colquitt County A team fell to Thomasville B 6-3 and will play a losers bracket game at 5:30 p.m. today.

Colquitt County B was defeated by Thomasville A Crushers 12-0 in four innings and will play in another losers bracket game at 5:30 p.m. today against the Americus Muckdogs.

Colquitt County B had won two games on Monday, outscoring its opponents 29-5 and crashing 42 hits.

On Tuesday, however, Colquitt had just three hits and made seven errors. Trey Clark, Clayton Brooks and Hayden Bledsoe had the hits.

If the two Colquitt County teams win their 5:30 p.m. games today, they would meet each other at 7 p.m.

District III will send both the tournament winner and runner-up to the state tournament, which also will be held in Cordele.