[06/06/03] Warren Central baseball coach Kevin Coker gave pitcher Zach Balthrop a big pat on the back after the team’s game against Hillcrest Christian on Thursday.

And did he ever earn it.

Balthrop threw a nine-inning complete game, allowed eight hits and two runs one earned and struck out seven as WC defeated Hillcrest 10-2.

With the cancellation of the second half of the doubleheader, the game was lengthened to nine innings. Coker told Balthrop he’d have to pretend like he was a college pitcher for the day.

“He gave us everything he had,” said Coker, a backup catcher at Southern Miss and former Viking standout. “He threw strikes, kept the ball down, got a lot of ground balls and the defense made a lot of good plays behind him.”

Hillcrest, competing with only 12 available players, began with a run in the first inning on an error, but Balthrop closed the book for the next seven innings before giving up the second run in the ninth. Mixing a slider in with his cut fastball, Balthrop retired nine consecutive batters between the fourth and seventh innings.

“I just tried to stay ahead,” Balthrop said. “I’m working through some stuff with my mechanics right now. I didn’t have my best stuff, but I was just doing what I had to do to get outs.”

Jake Turner led the way for the Vikings at the plate going 3-for-5 with a home run, three runs scored and two RBIs.

WC shelled young Hillcrest pitcher Sandon Bell for 10 hits and nine runs over six innings before he was taken out for Taylor McCombs.

“We got big hits in big situations,” Coker said. “Runner on second base, runner on third, we got them in today. I was impressed with everybody up and down the line.”

Warren Central started the fireworks early in the bottom of the first.

Allen Carlisle reached base on a dropped fly ball by right fielder Judd England, and Turner was hit by a pitch in the next at-bat.

Both runners advanced on a wild pitch, and John Rice Pettway knocked in Carlisle with a single to tie the game at one apiece.

Ryan Grey knocked in both Turner and Pettway with two outs before being tagged out trying to stretch his single into a double.

After Turner’s solo shot to left-center in the third, the Vikings broke the game open with four runs on five hits in the fourth inning.

Hillcrest coach Paul Wyczawski said his team of young players needs to take the game as a learning experience.

“This summer team is for us right now about development,” Wyczawski said. “We’ve just got a lot of young players that aren’t good baseball players at this point in time.”