NATCHEZ &045; Hitting sure is contagious. Jamie Morris is showing opposite-field power.

The senior might have been considered a light hitter coming into this spring, but he poked one over the right-field fence Monday night in his second straight game to leave the yard. It was part of another hit parade on behalf of the Adams Christian Rebels, who disposed of Copiah Academy 12-0 in five innings to sew up the District 3-AA championship.

And Morris couldn’t have been happier.

&uot;My bat has been quicker lately,&uot; said Morris, who also doubled. &uot;I’m staying back better than I was earlier in the year. I’m seeing it well, and I’ve got confidence at the plate. Really it’s been a quicker bat and staying back and waiting for the ball to get there. I try to hit middle over and hit it to the other side.&uot;

Morris’ efforts in the last two games have been a welcome spark for coaches who just worked with his swing here in the last couple of weeks. But he’s not the only one &045; the Rebels pounded out hits up and down the lineup against the Colonels to end the game early and officially wrap up the district title.

That puts the Rebels opening the Class AA playoffs next week at home in the best-of-three series. Their first round opponent could be one of three teams battling for the No. 2 spot in District 4 &045; Brookhaven, Centreville or Columbia.

&uot;That game (Friday) night &045; I talked to Coach (Kyle) Achord at Central Private,&uot; Adams Christian head coach Gill Morris said. &uot;He said that’s the kind of game that means something &045; not just a win. The way we had to pull it off, maybe it was one of those destiny things. We’ll just have to see.

&uot;I’m just so proud of these kids. I am hard on them, and I’m old-fashioned. There’s a time for laughing, and there’s a time for work. The kids have responded, and we’ll try to keep advancing.&uot;

The Rebels (9-1, 17-3) really started to get after Copiah starter Brock Campbell in the third inning after pecking away at the first two, and give credit to Jamie Morris for coming up with the first big hit.

He doubled in Timmy Foster and David New for a 5-0 lead, and the rest of the lineup really started to follow suit from there. In the last two games, Jamie Morris has four hits in his last five at-bats, including two homers.

&uot;Jamie has notoriously been a first-ball hitter,&uot; Gill Morris said. &uot;We raised his elbow a little bit, but not straight out. It makes his bat a little quicker through the zone. He’s seeing the ball well right now, and he’s getting more confident at the plate. He’s hit well all year &045; .350 and .380 &045; but it’s nice to see him drive the ball. And he’s gotten more patient at the plate.&uot;

The rally didn’t end there. Brian Smith followed with a double to score Morris, and Clay Floyd scored on a Ray Simpson groundout for a 7-0 lead heading into the fourth off Campbell. It was more than enough for Adams starter Timmy Foster, who finished with a no-hitter while striking out eight.

&uot;(Campbell) looked good,&uot; Copiah head coach Terry Bower said. &uot;I didn’t feel he got any corner calls at all, but that’s to be expected. We didn’t get any run support for him, and that doesn’t help any. He’s been snakebit the last two or three outings. He’s had an ERA under 3 with people hitting about .164 against him. We just can’t help out on the offensive end.&uot;

The Rebels took a 2-0 lead in the first when Cole Bradford and Foster singled in runs, and Jamie Morris led off the second with the solo homer to right. In the fourth the Rebels put up five runs with two coming in on a David Trisler double, Brian Smith walking with the bases loaded and Simpson singled in two runs.

Foster, meanwhile, didn’t give up a hit out of the infield until Andy Jackson flied out to Floyd in left for the second out in the fifth. The right-hander who normally sets up everything with a curveball may have had the most pop on his fastball he’s had all season.

&uot;I tell you what &045; Foster is good,&uot; Bower said. &uot;He’s hard to beat when he’s got good stuff, and he had it tonight. If you put a challenge in front of him, he’ll come through. (The fastball) had a little giddy-up.&uot;

Foster walked three batters, and the Rebels had two errors. The Colonels (1-8, 4-16) had a runner at second when Jed Stevens walked with one out and moved up on a Matthew Wright groundout, but Foster got the next batter to strike out to end the inning.

&uot;Timmy and I have talked about that,&uot; Gill Morris said. &uot;He threw some heat tonight. I’m sure he had a few pitches up there tonight. We didn’t throw but three or four changeups, but they were beautiful.&uot;