LIBERTY — After being knocked down the losers’ bracket of the MAIS Class AA South State Tournament on Monday, the Adams County Christian School Lady Rebels stayed alive with wins over Wayne Academy that same day and, finally, Park Place Christian Academy Thursday morning.

Unfortunately, ACCS’s run through that bracket and to the championship round came up a little bit short early Thursday afternoon as the Lady Rebels lost to the Simpson Academy Lady Cougars 9-1 at Ethel Vance Park. Simpson Academy was the same team that defeated them in the first round earlier in the week.

ACCS scored its only run in the top of the first inning. Tory Laird singled and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jordan Petty. Ashleigh Williams singled to bring in Laird.

The Lady Rebels’ 1-0 lasted until the bottom of the fourth inning, when the Lady Cougars tied the score at 1-1. Then Simpson Academy went on a tear over the next two innings, scoring four runs in both the bottom of the fifth and the bottom of the sixth.”

“Our team played well above expectations all year long,” ACCS head coach Forrest Foster said. “If you told me we would go to South State and qualify for State, I would have said no.”

Despite allowing 10 hits in the seven-inning contest, winning pitcher Bailey Sartin didn’t give up a single run after the first inning. She walked two and struck out one.

Taylor Perkins had a rough outing in defeat, allowing seven earned runs on eight hits with one walk and one strikeout. Anna McDaniel went 3-for-4 with two triples and Lexie Emanuel was 2-for-3. Both Laird and Williams were 2-for-4.

ACCS started its day with a 7-3 win over the Lady Crusaders of Park Place Christian after that game was halted Tuesday morning due to inclement weather in the Liberty area with the Lady Rebels leading 6-3 in the top of the sixth inning.

Emanuel got on first with a walk and Brooke Runnels hit a single that scored Emanuel all the way from first base before play was suspended on Tuesday. When the game resumed on Thursday, Michaela Ashley got Runnels over to second base with a sacrifice bunt and Bailey Boyd bunted and reached first safely on an error, which allowed Runnels to score and make it a 7-3 ball game.

Perkins retired the side in order to finish what she started. She allowed one earned run on three hits and two walks to go with three strikeouts in six innings. He helped her cause with an RBI triple in the top of the first inning. Petty went 2-for-3 with an RBI.

The Lady Rebels (16-16) went 2-2 in tournament play and qualified for the Class AA State Tournament at Center City Park in Pearl with their fourth-place finish. They will next play on Saturday at a time to be determined against the Class AA North State champion in a first-round game.

Lawrence County 10, Franklin County 0

MONTICELLO — Barri Rogers pitched six shutout innings and Lexi Johnson went 2-for-3 with a double as the Lawrence County Lady Cougars defeated the Franklin County Lady Bulldogs Thursday afternoon.

Rogers held a struggling Franklin County team to just five hits, struck out three and walked just one. And all the run support she really needed came in the bottom of the first inning, when Lawrence County put three runs on the scoreboard.

The Lady Cougars scored at least one run in every inning except the bottom of the fourth. However, by that time they were already in command with a 7-0 advantage. Callie Fortenberry went 2-for-2 while Elizabeth Smith and Alexandria Thomas each went 2-for-3.

Shelly Case was charged with the loss. She allowed three earned runs on 11 hits and one walk. The defense behind her didn’t help her much as the Lady Bulldogs committed nine errors.

Franklin County (4-13) will try to rebound on Saturday at the Brookhaven Tournament. The Lady Bulldogs take on McComb at 10 a.m., Stringer at 12:30 p.m. and Warren Central at 1:45 p.m.