NATCHEZ — Senior night was bittersweet for the Adams County Christian softball team Monday.

Although the team’s three seniors, Mary Sanders, Shelby Guice and Kaitlan Melton, where each honored before the game, the Lady Rebels dropped their final game of the season to Centreville Academy 8-5.

ACCS had a chance in the bottom of the fifth with bases loaded, but Melton’s groundout to Centreville second baseman Renee Miley ended the scoring threat.

“It’s always difficult to go out and play on senior night. I thought after we got over the early jitters and emotions, we played well in the later innings,” ACCS head coach Forrest Foster said.

“When it was 7-0, we could have folded. I challenged our girls to make a ballgame out of it.”

The Lady Tigers touched Sanders, who started for ACCS, for four runs in the top of the first. Ashton Crum singled in Katy Berry and starter Briana Bigner in on a single, and Taylor Delatte drove in Bigner and Tory Rouse.

Centreville added two more runs in the second inning, when Bigner and Haley Mann plated RBI singles. It also scored one run in the first on an RBI single by Miley.

ACCS began its comeback on the bottom of the third, when Maggie Ray came home on a double by Sanders. Sanders and Guice both scored on a single Ashton Mason that bounced off Miley’s leg, making it 7-3 Centreville after three.

“(Miley) will be a little sore, but she should be fine,” Centreville coach Mark Mann said after the game.

The Lady Tigers scored their final run when Crum came in on a sac fly.

“It was a big win for us. We’re 5-3 in district and 20-11 overall, and we had to win to have any chance at the playoffs,” Mark Mann said.

“This win gave us a chance. Now it’s in someone else’s hands, and we don’t like that, but we came out strong.”

Mark Mann also had high praises for his starting pitcher, who pitched all four innings.

“Ariana’s been having some back problems since the middle of the season, but she’s a competitor. You give her the ball, and she’ll take it and go,” Mark Mann said.

“Her back started tightening up in the later innings, but she kept competing. You can’t ask for more than that.”

ACCS finished 9-15 on the year, 3-5 in district. Despite no postseason, Foster said he was happy to have coached this year’s group of seniors.

“All seniors are special, and these three have shown good leadership and have been good with picking the younger players up. They’re going to be missed,” Foster said.