Rain delay not enough for ACCS

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, September 11, 2007

NATCHEZ — Thirteen days wasn’t enough time for the Adams County Christian School Rebels to build the momentum they needed.

When Trinity Episcopal visited ACCS to take on the Lady Rebels on Tuesday, Aug. 28, the Lady Saints had a 7-1 lead

ACCS had put one run across in the bottom of the second inning and had two outs when the game was called after a 10-minute delay because of inclement weather. Lady Rebels head coach Forrest Foster said he hoped his team could continue to build some momentum when the game picked up Monday afternoon.

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And while ACCS managed to score four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, it was not enough as Trinity held on for a 13-6 win in MPSA District 3-AA action. The game was called after five innings due to the time limit.

“It was a fun game to work on some bunting and some defensive plays,” Trinity head coach Sue Geter said.

Instead of going with Alyx Atkinson, who allowed one run on a walk and struck out four in the first inning and a two-thirds when the game was played on Aug. 28, Geter went with Sarah Brumfield on the mound.

“We’ve got a really big game for us against Prairie View. This was an opportunity for Alyx to get a break and Sarah to step up for us and she did,” Geter said.

After walking the first two batters she faced in the bottom of the second, Brumfield got Katie Hewitt to ground out to third base to end the inning.

Trinity (5-5, 3-2) made it a 9-1 game in the top of the third inning with the help of three ACCS errors. Mary Catherine Iles and Olivia Walden reached on back-to-back errors. Iles later scored on a groundout by Brumfield and Walden scored on another error.

Lady Rebels pitcher Sara Beth Fuller then walked Katie Steele and Madeline Cross to load the bases, but she got out of the jam by striking out Brandy Hall. The Lady Saints left 10 runners on base in the game.

“She’s a good pitcher and they fought hard,” Geter said about Fuller. “They should be proud of themselves,” Geter said.

ACCS scored one run in the bottom of the third when Kaitlan Melton led off with a walk, was sacrificed to third by Fuller and scored on Trinity’s only error of the game.

“We’re much improved,” ACCS head coach Forrest Foster said. “They were gracious to put their No. 2 pitcher in there. Sara Beth did a good job (on the mound). We actually out-hit them today.”

Neither team got a hit until Chelsea Freeman singled to shallow left field with one out in the bottom of the fourth inning with the Lady Rebels trailing 11-2. After Brumfield walked Lee Ann Gardner and Tori Martin was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Hewitt flew out to leftfielder Hall, who threw to catcher Walden, who then threw to third baseman Steele, who tagged Freeman for the third out.

“We made a couple of base-running mistakes in the fourth inning that really hurt us,” Foster said. “But the mistakes are out of excitement.”

It looked like Trinity was going to 10-run rule ACCS after scoring two more runs in the top of the fifth inning – which is when the Lady Saints got their only hit of the game, a single by Cross.

But the Lady Rebels weren’t going to let that happen. Melton scored on a passed ball, Fuller scored on a single by Cristin Rymer and Gardner’s double to centerfield brought in Katie Hester and Rymer.

“Lee Ann had a good double,” Foster said. “That forced them to put Alyx in close the game.”

Atkinson struck out Hewitt, but the ball got away from Walden, who had to throw to first for the final out of the game.