Vicksburg High pitcher Steven Price throws a pitch during the Gators’ 4-3 win over Tara, La., on Friday night. (Jenny SevcikThe Vicksburg Post)

[3/13/04]When Steven Price couldn’t get the last few outs with his arm, he settled for snagging the last one with his glove.

Price pitched six strong innings before tiring in the seventh, but made a nice running catch on a bases-loaded liner to end the game and preserve a 4-3 win for Vicksburg High over Tara, La.

“Every game this year with us, thus far has been exciting,” VHS coach Jamie Creel said. “We let teams hang around and hang around.”

Jordan Henry and Blake Tidwell each had two hits for VHS (5-3), while James Jackson and Heath Daigre contributed an RBI single apiece. Joe Miles and Andrew Wascom each drove in a run for Tara (7-2), a team from Baton Rouge.

Price struck out seven and allowed only one hit through the first five innings. After escaping a bases-loaded jam in the third, he retired nine straight batters until Brett Cook doubled and scored on Miles’ single to make it 4-2 in the top of the sixth.

Price gave way to Jackson after allowing Tara to load the bases with one out in the seventh. Jackson got off to a rocky start, though, when his first pitch skipped to the backstop and allowed a run to score.

Jackson eventually walked that batter to reload the bases, then struck out Tara first baseman Charley Evans for the second out. Cook followed with a sinking liner to left that Price caught on a dead run for the final out.

“I knew he’d get it done,” Price said. “I’m just glad I’ve got someone like (Jackson) to rely on.”

Earlier in the game, Vicksburg missed a number of opportunities to blow it open. The Gators left 10 runners on base, including six in scoring position. In the second, they loaded the bases with no outs but managed only one run.

VHS did break through for two runs in the third to take the lead for good.

Price reached on an error to lead off the inning, and Jackson followed with an RBI single through the right side of the infield to score courtesy runner Shannon Tillman and put VHS ahead 2-1. Jackson went on to steal second and third before scoring on a wild pitch to make it 3-1.

The Gators added another run in the fourth on Daigre’s RBI single.

WC 30, Forest Hill 1

Warren Central scored 10 runs in both the first and third innings and cranked out 21 hits en route to a demolition of Division 6-5A rival Forest Hill.

Nick Carson and Mark Different both homered for the Vikings, while Carson, Jake Turner and Allen Carlisle all tripled. Seven different WC players had at least two hits, including Trey Ettinger, Drew Warnock and Zach Balthrop. Carlisle had three hits.

Turner struck out nine in three innings of work and combined with Different on a one-hitter.