Vicksburg High pitcher Jackie Hutson bobbles and drops a pop fly during the first inning against Warren Central on Thursday.(Meredith Spencer The Vicksburg Post)

[9/10/04]Warren Central used most of its practice on Wednesday to work on hitting. It was time well spent.

The Lady Vikes clobbered 15 hits, scored at least three runs in each of the first four innings, and clinched a playoff berth with a 17-7 rout of crosstown rival Vicksburg Thursday at Halls Ferry Park.

Lauren Anderson led WC’s onslaught by going 3-for-4 with a double and five RBIs, Brittany Fuller was 3-for-4 with a triple, RBI and three runs scored, and Mandy Fuller was 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs.

Every WC starter reached base at least once, all but one had at least one hit and seven different Lady Vikes knocked in at least one run.

Temika Davenport was 3-for-3 with a pair of RBI singles for VHS, while Heather Pritchard and JaWanda Bingham had two hits apiece.

“We just came out hitting,” WC coach Lucy Young said. “I was real pleased with the way we hit the ball. We made a couple of errors, but luckily, because we were hitting, we could give up a couple of errors.”

WC (10-3, 3-0 Division 6-5A) jumped on top with four runs in the top of the first, then blew the game open with a big second inning. After Vicksburg left the bases loaded in the bottom of the first, WC rallied for seven runs all with two outs in the second.

Three walks started the rally, and Anderson gave WC a 6-0 lead with a two-run single. Shawn Johnson followed with a two-run double, and Mandy Fuller capped the outburst with a two-run single to put the Lady Vikes ahead 11-0.

“That definitely hurt, when we loaded the bases,” VHS coach Kori Crutchfield said of the Missy Gators’ missed opportunity in the first inning. “I think we left men on just about every inning, and that always hurts.”

WC stretched the lead to 14-0 with three runs in the third before Vicksburg (2-9, 0-2) rallied. Amy Harrigill had a two-run single, and Temika Davenport drove in one run with another base hit as VHS cut it to 14-4 in the bottom of the third.

It was too late to significantly cut into WC’s lead, though. The Lady Vikes tacked on three more runs in the fourth to push it back to 17-7, and Vicksburg’s last rally never came close to putting the outcome in doubt. The game ended after the fifth inning via the 10-run mercy rule.

“Had we played a couple more innings, I think we might have made it a closer game,” Crutchfield said.