DECATUR — The Centreville Academy Tigers overcame some defensive and base-running miscues to rally for a 7-5 win over the Newton County Academy Generals Tuesday afternoon in the second round of the MAIS Class AA Baseball Championship.

District 4-AA champion Centreville Academy was playing its first game in 11 days and in some aspects it showed. And even though the Tigers were able to come back in the middle innings, head coach Jason Horne knows his team could have played better.

“We got down early and made some mistakes early on. We booted the ball a few times and they took advantage,” Horne said. “We made some boneheaded base-running mistakes.”

After a scoreless first inning, District 3-AA runner-up Newton County Academy scored the game’s first run in the bottom of the second inning. The Generals added two more runs in the bottom of the third to take a 3-0 lead. The Tigers committed the majority of their four errors over that span.

And the way Braxton Rose was pitching as well as solid defense behind him, it looked the Generals were on their way to pulling off a huge Game 1 upset. However, the Tigers came alive in the top of the fourth and fifth innings.

Centreville scored two runs in the top of the fourth to make it a 3-2 game. The Tigers took the lead for good with a five-run rally in the top of the fifth.

“We came back and put the pressure on them,” Horne said. “We’re going to have to work on (our mistakes) before Thursday because they’re a good team and they’ll come ready to play.”

Bradie Garrett was the winning pitcher after allowing five runs (three earned) on five hits over six and one-third innings. He struck out five batters and walked two. Two of those runs came in the bottom of the seventh.

“Bradie threw well all game. He kept them off balance with the curveball and had a good fastball. He got tired in the seventh and we had to take him out. Tyler Thomassie came in and got the final two outs for us,” Horne said.

The Tigers out-hit the Generals nine to seven. Matthew Bihm was 2-for-3 with a double, Wyatt Brabham was 2-for-4 with a double, and Dustin Roberts was 2-for-5 with a double.

Rose gave up six runs (five earned) on six hits with four walks and three strikeouts in four and one-third innings.

Centreville Academy (20-8) will host Game 2 of this best-of-three series with Newton County Academy (12-15) on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. If there is a Game 3, it will be played after the conclusion of Game 2.