PINEVILLE, La. — The only team in MAIS District 5-AA that was not playing a district game Monday afternoon was Adams County Christian. Yet the Lady Rebels got all they could handle from CENLA Christian Academy out of District 6-AA.

And then some. It took eight innings and about three and a half hours, but somehow ACCS held on for a 9-8 win over the Lady Lions. And that was after CENLA Christian had rallied in the bottom of the seventh inning to send the game into extra innings.

With one out in the top of the eighth inning, Kylie Powell hit an groundout to shortstop, who threw to first base for the second out, but Shelby Guice scored from third base for what turned out to be the game-winning run.

“It was exciting,” ACCS head coach Forrest Foster said. “We thought we had it (in the bottom of the seventh). But they had some good hits.”

The Lady Rebels scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning, two on a double by Braxtyn Elveston, to give them an 8-4 lead. But the Lady Lions would not go away quietly. They put together four hits in a row, including a two-run triple by M. Wampier and an RBI double by J. Vurnaman, and were aided by an error by ACCS as part of a four-run rally in the bottom of the inning.

With the game in extra innings and the international rule in effect, Sage Atkins started at second for ACCS in the top of the eighth inning. Shelby Guice walked to put runners at first and second. After a passed ball allowed Atkins to go to third base, Guice stole second base. Wampier threw another passed ball and Atkins appeared to have scored the game-winning run, but was called out at home plate.

“It was a horrible call,” Foster said. Guice went to third on the passed ball before scoring on Powell’s RBI groundout.

Then in the bottom of the eight, the Lady Lions’ No. 9 hitter started at second. Mary Sanders, who went the distance for the Lady Rebels, walked the first batter she faced. Then she struck out the next batter and got the second out on a force play at third base. After an intentional walk to load the bases, Sanders induced a game-ending groundout.

But the way the first inning was played, it didn’t look like this game would have a chance to go as long as it did.

ACCS scored one run in the top of the first inning, but could just as easily let the game get away after a poor performance by its defense in the bottom of the first.

“Bottom of the first we made three errors that allowed their first three batters to reach. They scored on a fielder’s choice, a fielder’s choice and a walk,” Foster said.

After neither team scored in the second and third innings, ACCS’s bats woke up at just the right time. The Lady Rebels scored two runs in the top of the fourth and two more runs in the top of the fifth, including an RBI triple by Nikki Worth, to take a 5-3 lead.

CENLA Christian got one of those runs back in the bottom of the fifth to trail 5-4 heading into the sixth inning.

ACCS (6-8) hosts Central Private Thursday afternoon. The junior varsity game begins at 4 p.m. and will be followed by the varsity game at 5:15 p.m.