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NATCHEZ — Pierson Smith’s two-run single highlighted a four-run rally in the top of the third inning and Laken Bradley had himself an outstanding performance at the plate as the St. Aloysius High School Flashes fought back from an early deficit to defeat the Adams County Christian School Rebels 14-9 last Tuesday afternoon in the MAIS District 4-5A opener for both teams.

St. Aloysius entered the top of the third inning trailing ACCS 5-3 before Robert Lee started the rally with a run-scoring walk to make it a 5-4 game. After Pierson Smith’s go-ahead two-run single, Bradley singled to give the Flashes a 7-5 lead. The Rebels scored one run in the bottom of the third inning trail by just one run, 7-6. However, that would be as close as they would get to reclaiming the lead.

Bradley went 3-for-3 with a double, three runs batted in, and three runs scored as part of St. Aloysius’s 11-hit barrage.

The Flashes extended their lead to 11-6 after plating four runs in the top of the fifth inning. The Rebels tried to mount a comeback of their own against Walt Andrews, who relieved Carson Smith after three innings of play. ACCS got a solo home run to left field by Coleman Carter in the bottom of the fifth and then a two-run home run to right field by Ethan Givens on the sixth pitch of the at-bat to cut St. Al’s lead to 11-9.

Carter went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, one RBI, and three runs scored while Givens was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored to lead ACCS’s nine-hit attack. Colton Rabb had a double.

However, the Flashes responded with three runs of their own in the top of the seventh inning. Andrews finished off the game by shutting out the Rebels in the bottom of the seventh.

Carson Smith was credited as the winning pitcher despite allowing six runs, four of them earned, on six hits with two strikeouts, one walk, and two hit batters over three innings. Four of those runs he gave up came off the bat of Sean Kerry Cothern, whose grand slam home run in the bottom of the first inning, helped give ACCS a 5-1 advantage. Carson also helped his own cause by going 2-for-3 with one RBI, one run scored, and two stolen bases.

St. Aloysius answered with two runs in the top of the second inning before taking the lead just one inning later.

In his four innings of relief, Andrews allowed three runs, all of them earned, on two hits and three walks to go with two strikeouts. At the plate for the Flashes, Sadler Lambiotte was 2-for-4 with three RBIs and one run scored while Pierson Smith was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and one run scored.

Jackson Anderson was charged with the loss after giving up seven runs, all of them earned, on four hits, five walks, and two hit batters to go with three strikeouts. Cothern allowed seven runs, five of them earned, on seven walks and five walks as well as four strikeouts over four and two-thirds innings.

With the loss, ACCS fell to 10-4 overall and 0-1 in District 4-5A. The Rebels travel to Vicksburg for a district varsity doubleheader at St. Aloysius on Friday at 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.