Warren Central pitcher Zach Balthrop warms up during the Vikings’ loss to Madison Central on Friday. (Sam FreemanThe Vicksburg Post)

[7/17/04]Madison Central came out with a bang and never looked back in the championship game of the End of the Summer Showdown against Warren Central Friday.

WC pitcher Zach Balthrop allowed three runs in the first inning, and the Jaguars never relinquished the lead on their way to a 7-3 victory.

“They’re a good-hitting team, a good team in general,” WC coach Randy Broome said. “They got on the board early, and we just couldn’t catch a break. That first inning was the difference in the game.”

Balthrop, along with relievers Eric Douglas and Nick Carson, allowed nine hits in the seven-inning contest, and Josh Demoney, Ryan Lee and Nathan Hardy led the charge with two hits each for Madison.

The game began with three quick singles from the top of the Jaguars’ lineup. Leadoff hitter Demoney scored on Lee’s base hit, Jarrod Parks came in on a sacrifice fly, and Lee was knocked in by Hardy’s single.

In the third, Balthrop faced four batters before being relieved with one out and two on by Douglas, who walked the only two batters he saw. Carson then came in and got the last two outs.

Carson allowed two hits and a run in the sixth and one hit in the seventh.

“We had the arms to do it tonight,” Broome said. “They started getting to Zach in the third though.

“Eric is usually clutch out of the bullpen, but he just didn’t settle in tonight, and we didn’t have time to let him. Nick did a good job of holding them once he came in.”

Warren Central got seven hits off of pitcher Alex Fuselier, who struck out three and walked five on his way to the win.

The Vikings scored single runs in the third, fourth and sixth innings.

In the third inning, Russell Johnson singled and later scored on Derrick Beard’s groundout.

Ben Koestler doubled to lead off the fourth, and Balthrop’s two-bagger drove him home.

Fuselier walked Balthrop in the sixth, and he scored a few batters later on Ryan Grey’s base hit.

Johnson led off the seventh with a base hit, but the next three Vikes went down 1-2-3 to end the game.

“We just couldn’t seem to get anything going tonight,” Broome said. “Any time we would get runners on base, somebody would hit a shot right at an infielder and the chance was gone. I guess it just wasn’t our night.”