Coming within one run of an appearance in the championship game, the Person Rockets were defeated by Oxford Webb, 7-4, in the third-place consolation game of the Rocket Junior Varsity Challenge Tournament Monday afternoon at chilly Rocket Park.

The loss left the Rockets with a fourth-place finish in this year’s three-day event — two spots better than their sixth-place finish in 2007.

The Rockets lost a close 9-8 decision to the Southern Alamance Patriots in Saturday’s second-round winner’s bracket game.

The Cedar Ridge Red Wolves took this year’s title with a 10-2 win over Southern Alamance (last year’s champ) in Monday night’s championship contest.

Eight teams competed in the tourney.

The Rockets started the tournament on the right foot on Friday evening by blasting Granville Central, 12-2, to advance to the second-round winner’s bracket game.

Person was carrying a three-game winning streak into the tourney, and used that momentum to shut down the Granville Central bats. Rocket starter Clint Holt went the distance for the win, allowing just one hit.

On the other side, Person’s offense was clicking, as Travis Vaughn smashed a first-inning three-run homer to set the tone. Vaughn added another hit and RBI, and Ed Thornburg went 3-for-4 with two runs driven in and two runs scored.

Blake Coats also had two hits, scored twice, and drove in a run Person.

In Saturday’s winner’s bracket clash, the Rockets ran up against last year’s tourney champion Southern Alamance, and, down by a run, were 90 feet away from tying the game in the seventh inning.

Casey Horton reached on a walk and made it to third base, but Person was unable to get him in and ended up on the short end of the 9-8 final.

The Patriots scored five times in the first two innings off Rocket starter Thornburg, but Person kept pace and entered its final at-bat down by just one run.

Christian Dickens hurled five innings in relief for the Rockets and fanned five batters. Justin Brame also walked twice and scored both times.

In Monday’s third-place game, Oxford Webb rallied for five unanswered runs in the late innings and held off a seventh-inning Person uprising to grab a 7-4 victory.

Tyler Cothran had a single to go along with an RBI and a run scored, while Vaughn finished with two hits, including a double, and scored. Horton also singled and scored for Person.

Nate McBroom started and pitched all seven frames in the loss. Through the first half of the game, he kept the Webb hitters off balance and finished with five strikeouts.

Down 7-2, the Rockets scored twice in the seventh, but could get no closer.

Rounding out the order of finish in the tournament were: Cardinal Gibbons in fifth place, South Granville in sixth, Granville Central in seventh, and Orange in eighth.

In Friday’s opening round, Gibbons was defeated by Cedar Ridge, 12-3. Webb knocked off Orange, 5-4, and Southern Alamance was victorious over South Granville by a 13-7 count.

On Saturday, Gibbons bested Orange, South Granville defeated Granville Central, and Cedar Ridge got past Webb.

In Monday’s other consolation games, Granville Central beat Orange, 16-8, for seventh place, and Gibbons routed South Granville, 25-6, to take fifth.

The 1-2 showing in the tournament left Person with a 4-5 overall record for the season. The Rockets resumed action Tuesday in a Piedmont Athletic Conference game at Riverside, and travel for a contest at Halifax on Friday.