NATCHEZ &045; Not many people gave the Adams County Christian School Lady Rebels much of a chance to get to far in the MPSA Class AA-AAA State championship.

Tell that to the Parklane Lady Pioneers, who were forced to play a second game in the championship round on Saturday at the Natchez-Adams Girls Softball Complex and had to hold on for a 4-3 win in that game to win the state title.

&uot;Last year they won it all and we were runners-up,&uot; Parklane head coach Dwight Stockton said.

The game ended in an odd way.

In the bottom of the seventh, April Dillon hit a one-out single and advanced to second on an error. Then Katie Ann Swinny flied out to left-center field, but Dillon left second too soon and was called out.

ACCS, the No. 4 seed, went into the state tournament with an 8-10 record but ended the regular season with a three-game winning streak.

And the Lady Rebels almost pulled off a feat similar to that of the 1992 state champs &045; a loss to Parklane that dropped them to the loser’s bracket and then advancing to the title round.

&uot;Our girls played exceptionally well considering they had to make out of the loser’s bracket to the championship round,&uot; ACCS head coach Rick Fife said. &uot;I think the true character of our team came out today in our senior leadership.&uot;

Both games were classics and indicative of the rivalry between the two schools in slow-pitch softball.

In the second game, AC pitcher Kelsie Ward and Parklane pitcher Kaitlyn Johnson held the opposition scoreless.

&uot;Both teams quit hitting the ball. Both teams played good defense,&uot; Stockton said.

The Lady Rebels had an opportunity to take the lead in the bottom of the first with Krystal Truitt at second and April Boyd at first and just one out, but Johnson got the next two batters out and the game remained scoreless.

But things changed in the top of the fourth as Parklane scored four runs on just two hits &045; one being a key two-run single by eight-hole hitter Elise Gilbert &045; and took advantage of four errors.

&uot;We finally hit the ball in the fourth,&uot; Stockton said. &uot;She’s (Gilbert’s) a senior. We’re going to miss her. That (four errors) kept us going.&uot;

As for what ended up being the game-winning hit, Gilbert said, &uot;I just knew I was going to hit it. Everybody was telling me to hit it deep and someone would tag up and score one run. I hit it level and scored two.&uot;

Her one-out single brought in Lindsey Brown, who reached first on an error, and Amanda Etheridge, who reached first on a fielder’s choice.

ACCS fought back in the bottom of the fourth, scoring three runs on four hits to get right back in the game.

Madelyn Lewis singled to score Truitt, Tara Gillespie single to bring home Ward and Dillon hit a deep sacrifice fly to left centerfield to bring in Lewis.

&uot;We just couldn’t get the big hit at the right time,&uot; Fife said. &uot;I felt our team had the momentum going into the fifth inning.&uot;

Parklane had a chance to put some insurance runs in the top of the sixth as it had runners and first and second with no outs, but Ward and the defense behind her kept that from happening.