After his team’s game Monday night, Cathedral head coach Gary Blackwell knew Tuesday night’s game against Adams County Christian School would be a tug of war.

The Lady Rebels clawed back from a three-run deficit to tie the game 5-5 in the sixth inning. Pitcher Shelby Mason scored the winning run for ACCS in the bottom of the 10th to give her team a 7-6 win against their district rival.

“That’s the best thing,” Mason said. “(Cathedral is) our cross-town rivals, It’s always good to beat them.”

Cathedral took an early lead by scraping across two unearned runs in the top of the first inning and jumping out to a 5-3 lead in the fifth inning.

ACCS head coach Tate Lipscomb opted to call for Mason to relieve starter Brianna Henson with no outs in the fifth. Mason stranded the bases load, allowing one run for her remaining five innings.

“She came in clutch, and in a time of need,” Lipscomb said. “My horse was tired. (Brianna) was struggling, and Shelby came in and closed out the game great.”

A pair of errors in the Cathedral outfield — one in the bottom of the fifth inning and another in the sixth inning — helped the Lady Rebels to climb back into the game.

“We had too many errors,” Cathedral head coach Gary Blackwell said. “That cost us a few runs.”

According to MAIS rules, the previous inning’s final hitter starts the inning on second base once extra innings begins.

ACCS came close to winning the game in the bottom of the eighth inning, but Cathedral catcher Lauren Dunbar tagged out ACCS’ Savanna Spear.

Haleigh Nunnery scored for Cathedral in the ninth inning on a fielder’s choice, but Lexie Emanuel came across to tie the game in the bottom of the inning.

Blackwell stayed aggressive on the base paths in 10th, sending courtesy runner Annalyce Riley home on a weakly hit ground ball down the third base line. Riley was tagged out and the Green Wave rally was snuffed.

Blackwell said in hindsight he should have played it safer, but he ultimately expected the winner of the game would be aggressive.

“We probably should have held up, but you have to be aggressive and if you aren’t you’re not going to win,” Blackwell said.

Lipscomb’s aggressiveness paid off in the bottom of the inning.

Mason said, standing on second to start the inning, Lipscomb told her to stay sharp and be ready to make a play.

“I just told her be smart,” Lipscomb said. “I’m an aggressive coach, and we’re going to run them. Nine time out of ten, they aren’t going to make it. They made a play (in the ninth inning) but that time they didn’t.”

After advancing on a fielder’s choice, Spear put the ball in play, but Mason was caught in a rundown. Cathedral tossed the ball back and forth, but the ball sailed in the outfield on the second throw to third base and Mason jogged in to score the winning run.

“I was nervous because I’m not the fastest on the team,” Mason said. “I was listening to coach Tate and he said, ‘Back!’ Then I saw they overthrew it and knew I could get home.”

Cathedral is 2-2 in district play. ACCS improved to 3-0.