NATCHEZ &045; After two losses on Thursday, Adams Christian head coach Gill Morris issued an ultimatum.

Win on Friday, or show up for practice 8 a.m. today with the school’s prom set for tonight.

The Rebels couldn’t have done any worse after dropping two to Jackson Prep on Thursday by a combined score of 25-9. When the Patriots made the trip to Natchez for the final game of the series, the Rebels wanted to make a statement and continue their streak of beating a ranked team at least once.

And they also, of course, wanted to sleep in today.

So after their 15-5 win over Prep in five innings on Friday, they’re all doing that right about now.

&uot;I knew it couldn’t get any uglier,&uot; said AC first baseman Glenn Williams, who belted two homers and drove in six runs. &uot;We played really bad the first game and decent the second. We had a goal of beating every team ranked ahead of us. Nobody wanted to practice at 8 o’clock in the morning.

&uot;If we come out and play like we can, we can do that every night. There’s no doubt in my mind. If our pitchers are pitching and our sticks are going, we can play with anybody in the state.&uot;

You might not get much of an argument out of people at the Rebel Diamond Friday, although the Patriots’ four errors came at quite possible the absolute worst times. But the Rebels pounded out 13 hits in the five-inning contest and got one of the best starts on the mound from Timmy Foster in quite some time.

The win kept the Rebels from getting swept, and they will likely open the playoffs in two weeks against Jackson Academy.

&uot;We probably looked a little worse than that last night,&uot; Morris said. &uot;But I told the kids we have to come out relaxed, focused and make that other team make the perfect pitch and pick up every ground ball. We got some key hits and had some quality at-bats tonight. We hit it in the holes and found ways to get on base.&uot;

The Rebels had two long balls from Williams, one being a grand slam in the second, but kept hitting it hard and forcing the Patriots to make the play. Fourteen of the runs were charged to side-armer Drew Maddox, although four errors led to a number of runs in the second, third and fifth innings.

The Rebels entered the fifth with a 7-5 lead and tacked on eight runs on six hits and two errors to end the game early. Ray Simpson’s single off reliever David Steele brought home Joseph Dunlap from third with two outs for the 15-5 lead.

&uot;We just didn’t play sound defense behind (Maddox),&uot; Prep head coach Trey Bayless said. &uot;Although he leads our team in strikeouts, he’s not a strikeout pitcher. We didn’t play very smart baseball. But it’s always tough to come to Adams and play well.&uot;

The Rebels pecked away at Maddox in the fifth after struggling at times early in the game. Maddox fanned six in the first four innings and got the first out of the fifth in a strikeout, but Brian Smith got on by a single.

An error on a grounder and a walk loaded the bases for David New, and he walked to force in a run. Williams singled in a run, and Jamie Morris scored on an error for a 10-5 lead.

Foster got New home on a sacrifice fly, and a David Trisler single scored Williams from second before Maddox exited.

&uot;When you release the ball as low as he does, it’s going to stay low,&uot; Gill Morris said. &uot;He was snapping it (for a curveball) at the very bottom of his release. I saw him pitch against Central Private. I told the kids for three weeks his release point is different from what we’ve ever seen. His arm almost hits the ground when he comes with it.&uot;

The Rebels struck first when Williams’ grand slam highlighted a five-run second inning, but the Patriots answered with five in the third off Foster.

But Adams got a run off an error in the fourth and a solo homer from Williams in the fifth.

With Foster cruising on the mound with a solid curveball, that was all the Rebels needed to get the win and avoid getting up way too early this morning for practice.

&uot;I told them we might come back at 4 o’clock,&uot; Morris said. &uot;They could have cancelled some of their little dinner reservations. What a difference a night makes with high school kids. I told them to go out and dance the night away, and I’ll go catch some bass.&uot;