NATCHEZ &045; Here lately opposing teams have had to pick their poison when it comes to Adams County’s Timmy Foster.

Do you take Foster the hitter, or do you take Foster the pitcher?

Foster the hitter on Tuesday parked another homer &045; his sixth in three games with two coming with the sacks packed &045; while Foster the hitter went the distance using a vicious curveball to keep Loyd Star hitters off balance for an 8-3 win to close out the summer league schedule.

&uot;It’s the right time, really,&uot; said Foster, who was the Rebels’ No. 3 starter this past season as a freshman. &uot;I’ve been throwing pretty well the last few days. I’ve got to get my confidence throwing it and putting it in the right spot. When I don’t throw it right, coach makes me throw it again and throw it in the right spot.

&uot;I was just trying to get them out of there. I was ready to go home.&uot;

Foster got in his only tight spot of the game in the second inning when he surrendered a two-run homer to Tyler Williford that cut the lead to 3-2. Outside of that he allowed one run but kept the Hornets off balance with the curve early before coming with the fastball more as the game went on.

Foster allowed six hits while striking out six and walking one.

&uot;Timmy has a good deuce, and it goes down real well,&uot; AC head coach Gill Morris said. &uot;In the fifth when he walked off the field I told him that was one of the best innings he threw this year. He hit every spot I called. Timmy made just one mistake tonight, and that was the kid that went yard on him. But he was in control and hit his spots as the game went on.&uot;

That fifth inning could have been trouble with the Rebels holding a 6-3 lead as Justin Whatley led off with a double. Foster then retired the next three batters to end the inning and retired the side in order in the sixth to close it out.

&uot;A couple of times we had guys in scoring position,&uot; Loyd Star head coach Sid Wheatley said. &uot;You need those big two-out hits. If we could have had one more, who knows? I just brought nine (players) over here, and they fought hard and scrapped. I’m proud of them for that.&uot;

The Rebels picked up two insurance runs in the fifth inning, but the turning point for them came in the third when the bottom of the lineup came up with two runs to break up a 3-3 tie. Clay Floyd singled and stole second before staying there on Matt Marchbanks’ fielder’s choice with one out.

Matt Parson then dribbled one down the third-base line, and Loyd Star catcher Matthew Delaughter overthrew the first baseman to score Floyd and Marchbanks.

&uot;That was a big play in the game,&uot; Wheatley said. &uot;But we had a runner (Floyd) caught up between second and third. If we take care of him, we come in and get to hit. But it put them up a couple runs and gave them a little momentum. They did a good job. They got a couple key hits when they needed to, and we didn’t.&uot;

The heads-up baserunning on the play was one of three that paid off for the Rebels. In the fourth Foster doubled and advanced to third on Douglas Davis’ flyout to deep center for the second out, and David Trisler singled him in for a 6-3 lead.

Then in the fifth after a Brian Smith solo homer the Rebels went for a double steal with Ray Simpson on second and Jamie Morris on first. The throw to third sailed into left field, and both scored for the 8-3 lead.

&uot;I was real pleased with the way we ran the bases tonight,&uot; Gill Morris said. &uot;That’s the best we’ve run the bases all summer. We had more pop-ups than I wanted, and we were very impatient in some cases. But we stayed back, attacked the ball and had some good at-bats. That’s what it takes.&uot;

Which comes back to Foster, whose laser shot in the first inning was good for a two-run homer after Cole Bradford reached on a double. It came just a day removed from his two-run shot in the first inning against Natchez High.

&uot;I’m getting the right pitch and looking for a pitch to swing at,&uot; Foster said. &uot;It was a line shot. I hit it on the handle. Both of them I hit tonight were on the handle.&uot;