VIDALIA — Amanda Brown churned out the best performance of the season for Centreville Academy as the Lady Tigers held on to beat Trinity Episcopal Day School 7-4 Tuesday evening.

Leading 7-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning, Brown was able to get the first two outs before loading the bases and walking in a run. Centreville head coach Mark Mann saw his starter was clearly gassed and brought in Braelon Bigner to get the last out. Bigner walked in one more batter before tallying a strikeout to end the game.

“We tried to take her fastball and move it in and out and change speeds,” Mann said of Brown. “If you go down four to six miles per hour, it throws the batters off. So we took a little off here and there, and she was pretty successful.”

The game was called after an hour and a half of play because of the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools’ non-district time limit. Kailey Hutchins and Michaela Hutchins both scored on the bases-loaded walks in the sixth.

Lady Saints head coach Miranda Doughty said she was pleased with her team making the game interesting in the sixth but would still like to see better at-bats earlier in the game. She also said Brown’s slower style of pitching threw her girls off.

“For some reason, we can’t hit slower pitching,” Doughty said. “It’s been a problem all season. This is such a mental game for our girls, and they get so rattled sometimes. They have to overcome that, because they’re more than capable. They just have to believe in themselves.”

Centreville jumped out ahead 4-0 in the top of the first, but Trinity responded with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the frame. After that, Brown settled down for the next four innings before growing tired in the bottom of the sixth.

Meanwhile, the Lady Tigers extended their lead to 7-2 in the top of the fourth inning. A single by Macie Miley sent home Katielyn Bell, and Sydnie Lyons and Miley both scored on one of the Lady Saints’ two errors in the game.

Hutchins took the loss for Trinity, giving up seven runs, five earned, on seven hits with two strikeouts. Marty Lewis pitched two scoreless frames in the fifth and sixth innings for Trinity.

With regular starter Makenzie Tarver rehabbing a knee injury she suffered in Centreville’s game against Silliman Institute Aug. 27, Mann said it was huge for his team to have Brown step up like she did Tuesday evening. He said he still doesn’t know when Tarver can permanently return to the rotation.

“We threw her (Monday) night (against Bowling Green), and it was the first time in two weeks she’s thrown,” Mann said. “She threw well, we just didn’t play well behind her. She seems to be getting better.”

Centreville (8-13) will play in the Adams County Christian School tournament Saturday, while Trinity (10-12) will host Wilkinson County Christian Academy Thursday.