Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

LIBERTY — Coleman Carter and Sean Kerry Cothern each had big base hits with Carter also pitching six strong shutout innings for Adams County Christian School as the visiting Rebels defeated the host Amite School Center Rebels 7-0 last Tuesday afternoon.

Carter gave up just one hit, a double by Carter Hill, struck out six batters, walked only one batter, and hit three batters. The defense behind him and reliever Parker Roach was outstanding for the most part as ACCS committed just one error.

Cothern got things going for the visitors from Natchez as he belted a two-run home run to left field in the top of the first inning. And with Carter in command of his pitchers and pounding the strike zone, that was really all the run support he needed.

ACCS made it a 3-0 game in the top of the fourth inning. Amite School Center starting pitcher Gabe Beard was able to make through the fifth inning, but with his pitch count at 86 pitches, that was all for him.

Beard gave up three earned runs on five hits with four strikeouts, four walks and one hit batter. Blayne Welch came on in relief of Beard and tried to keep the host Rebels in the game. Unfortunately for him, after holding ACCS scoreless in the top of the sixth inning, he ran into trouble in the top of the seventh.

The visiting Rebels were able to load the bases before Carter came through with a three-run triple. Their other run of their half of the seventh occurred when Amite School Center committed one of its three errors.

That gave ACCS a 7-0 lead and Roach came in to finish the game. In his one inning of relief, he walked one batter and struck out one batter.

Cothern went 2-for-3 with two runs batted in, one run scored, was walked once, and reached on an error once. Ryder Smith was 2-for-3 with one run scored while Carter was 1-for-3 with three RBIs, two runs scored, hit into a fielder’s choice, and was hit by a pitch once.

With the win, ACCS improved to 14-10 overall. The Rebels played host to Amite School Center in their regular-season finale at Papa New Field on Thursday with the junior varsity game at 4:30 p.m. and the varsity game at 6:30 p.m. It was also Senior Night at ACCS with seniors Coleman Carter, Ethan Givens, Jackson Anderson, and Bram Sullivan being recognized after the completion of the JV game.

And the Rebels will also be looking to take what would be with a win a four-game winning streak into the Class 5A South State Playoffs. They are the District 4-5A No. 4 seed and will take on the champion and No. 1 seed out of District 3-5A in a best-of-three first-round series next week.

ACCS 19, Prentiss Christian School 9 (5 innings; Monday afternoon)

NATCHEZ — After spotting Prentiss Christian School a 6-0 lead to start the game in which two errors were committed, Adams County Christian School had to rely on its offense and a gutsy performance on the mound by Rankin Wiggins in a 19-9 win over the Saints in five innings at Papa New Field last Monday afternoon.

And it was a good thing that Parker Roach went 4-for-4, including a key two-run single during a five-run rally in the bottom of the third inning that gave ACCS the lead for good at 11-9, well as a double, one run batted in, four runs scored, and one stolen base.

Roach got the start on the mound for the Rebels and Prentiss Christian scored all six runs in the top of the first off of him, with only one of them being an earned run. The Saints got run-scoring singles by No. 12 and No. 6 (no names given), a run-scoring sacrifice fly by No. 29 (no name given), two errors by ACCS that each brought in a run, and when No. 10 was hit by a pitch to bring in a run. Roach only lasted two-thirds of an inning, struck out none and walked one.

And this was a Saints team that barely made the MAIS Class 3A South State Playoffs as the No. 4 seed out of District 3 and will take on District 4-3A champion and No. 1 seed Prairie View Academy in a best-of-three first-round series next week.

Wiggins came on in relief and got the final out of the top of the first. It would not take long for the Rebels’ bats to come alive. They scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning before the Saints responded with two runs in the top of the second inning, including an RBI double by No. 2 (no name given) to go ahead 8-2.

However, ACCS was not done cutting into Prentiss Christian’s lead. The Rebels scored four runs in the bottom of the second inning to make it an 8-6 game. But another error by the home team allowed the Saints to bring in another run, this time in the top of the third inning to give them a 9-6 lead.

The Rebels finally grabbed the momentum away from the Saints with their big rally in the bottom of the third inning, highlighted by Roach’s key base hit. After going up 12-7 in the bottom of the fourth inning, ACCS ended the game early by plating seven runs in the bottom of the fifth.

Among the key at-bats for the Rebels in their half of the fifth inning were a two-run single by Colton Rabb, an RBI double by Hart Smith, a wild pitch by the Saints that brought in a run, and when Coleman Carter drew a walk that scored one run.

Wiggins pitched the final four and one-third innings and gave up three runs, two of them earned, on six hits and one walk with no strikeouts. It was not a clean game by any measure as both teams committed six errors.

Prentiss Christian was led at the plate by No. 6, who went 2-for-3 with one run batted in. For ACCS, Aplin went 2-for-2 with one RBI, two runs scored, one walk, two stolen bases, and was hit by a pitch once. Sean Kerry Cothern had a double and went 2-for-3 with one RBI, two runs scored, and was walked once. Parker Dossett went 2-for-4 with one run scored and one stolen base while Carter was 1-for-3 with three RBIs, two runs scored, one walk, was hit by a pitch once, and two stolen bases.

With the win, ACCS improved its overall record to 13-10.