MOULTRIE — After being defeated by Tift County 15-2 on Monday in District III tournament at the Magnolia Sports Complex, the Colquitt County 14-and-under all-stars could not have been blamed for wondering if they could come back and win the district title.

It meant Colquitt County would have to defeat Worth County and Tift County twice to qualify for the state tournament that that last year’s team won.

But Colquitt knocked off Worth 14-3 and followed with a 17-16 marathon win over Tift County on Tuesday.

Still, Colquitt needed another win over the Blue Devils on Wednesday and the prospects did not look promising when Tift County scored five runs in the bottom of the third to go up 6-4.

But Austin Dykes and Vann Pitts combined to hold Tift County scoreless over the final four innings and Colquitt got three runs in the fifth and another in the sixth for an 8-6 win and the District title.

Colquitt County will travel to Thomson to defend its state title.

Tift County had plenty of opportunities over the final four innings, but was victimized during the game by three double plays, including one Colquitt County turned to end the game.

Colquitt had 12 base hits, including at least one in every inning, and got a three-run homer from Austin Dykes in the third and a solo shot by Corey Moore in the sixth.

Colquitt County jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Zac Wheeler singled home Pitts, who opened the game with a base hit to center field.

Tift tied the game in bottom of the inning without the benefit of a hit.

Dykes’ second-inning homer came after Tift County starting pitcher Alex Conway had struck out the first two batters in the inning.

But Pitts walked and Matt Creech as hit by a pitch to precede Dykes round-tripper.

Tift countered with five runs in the bottom of the fifth, but that was all the runs it would score.

The Blue Devils had three base runners in the fourth, but Dykes, who had relieved starter Tyler Yost, got a 5-4-3 double play and a strikeout to escape trouble.

Tift’s Payton Moon opened the fifth with a base hit, but was thrown out by Yost, who had moved to catcher, when he tried to steal second.

Dykes walked three straight batters with two out in the sixth, but got Conway to bounce into a field choice to end the inning.

When Moon singled to open the bottom of the sixth, Colquitt County Coach Robby Pitts lifted Dykes and brought in Vann Pitts.

Pitts got Parks Casey to look at a called third strike, then enticed Drew Davis to ground to first baseman Bryce Giddens who stepped on the bag for one out and then fired to shortstop Creech who tagged out a sliding Moon to end the game.

Colquitt County took the lead in the sixth with three runs, with the go-ahead run crossing the plate when a Giddens fly ball was dropped in center field.

Moore and Creech had hits in the inning. Moore added an insurance run when he homered to center field in the sixth. It was his third hit of the game.

Creech, Giddens and Wheeler each had two hits. Pitts, Dykes and Daren Kent had the others.