Warren Central’s Mandy Fuller tags out Hazlehurst’s Deaundria Singleton during the Lady Vikes’ 6-2 win on Tuesday. (Jon GiffinThe Vicksburg Post)

[10/6/04]Right field was the right place for Shawn Johnson and Warren Central on Tuesday.

Johnson, a freshman shortstop for the Lady Vikes, went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and delivered a pair of run-scoring singles to the opposite field to help WC beat Hazlehurst 6-2 on senior night at WC.

“I was trying to go to right field,” Johnson said. “My coach encourages me to go right all the time, and I’m a right side hitter, so that’s what I did. I saw they gave me a big-old gap and left it open, so I went to that side.”

Saleda Montgomery was 2-for-3 and earned the win for WC, which improved to 20-7. The Lady Vikes will open the Class 5A playoffs at home on Tuesday against Hattiesburg.

Hazlehurst’s TeAirra Wilbert had two hits, including a leadoff homer in the first inning, and Deaundria Singleton had an RBI single to help the Lady Indians (15-6) to a 2-0 lead.

WC rallied for three runs in the bottom of the fourth to take the lead for good. Brittany Fuller and Cookie Johnson started the inning with singles before Shawn Johnson came to the plate with one out.

Noticing a gaping hole in the right side of the infield, she poked a line drive through it for a game-tying base hit. Shawn Johnson later scored on an error to give WC a 3-2 lead. The Lady Vikes took advantage of some shaky defense for a pair of insurance runs in the fifth inning.

Cookie Johnson drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, and Shawn Johnson delivered another single to right field again through a huge hole between first and second to push the lead to 5-2. An unearned run in the sixth inning finished the scoring.

“We didn’t hit quite as well as we did last night, but we did do some hitting,” WC coach Lucy Young said. “We took advantage of some mistakes the other team made, had some good runners on base when those things happened and were able to plate some people.”

While Hazlehurst was booting the ball it committed six errors WC’s defense kept it in the game. The Lady Vikes turned two double plays and allowed only three runners past second base. Hazlehurst had 11 hits, but left just four runners on. Two of them scored, and the rest were erased by fielder’s choices or double plays.

“We played real good defense last night, and I thought played well tonight,” Young said. “Saleda pitched them real well. She’s been working the batters and has done a tremendous job for us this season.”