[10/17/04]PICAYUNE Everything seems to be going Picayune’s way in its playoff run.

The Lady Maroon Tide pounded out 37 hits in sweeping Warren Central 11-1 and 11-0 Saturday in the second round of the Class 5A playoffs.

Fourth-ranked Picayune (22-3) had 20 hits in the opener and 17 in the nightcap to knock the Lady Vikes (21-10) out of the postseason.

“We hit the ball well,” said Picayune coach Kristi Mitchell, whose team is making its first trip to the South State finals. “We had a little bit of a lull after the second inning, but came back in the second game and hit the ball well.”

Warren Central, the champion of Region 6-5A, never could string its hits together. The Lady Vikes threatened in the first inning of the opener as Amanda Doyle and Tiffany Fuller led off with singles. But Brittany Fuller lined into a double play and Cookie Johnson hit a hard shot at Courtney Dickens and the Lady Tide shortstop made a nice diving play to get Picayune out of the inning.

The Lady Tide then put five runs on the board in their half of the inning. Amanda Feeley had a two-run double and Breonne Spikes belted a two-run homer. Allison Bynum added an RBI-single.

After Warren Central went down in order in the second, Picayune put a three-spot on the board. Feeley, who went 8-for-8 on the day, doubled and Malissa Fowler had a run-scoring single. Kellye Bolar later made it 8-0 with a sacrifice fly.

Warren Central didn’t have another baserunner until the fifth inning on a pair of two-outs hits. But Mandy Fuller’s ground out ended the threat.

Picayune then put it away in the sixth when Krystal Penton led off with a home run and Fowler’s RBI single induced the mercy rule.

In the nightcap, Picayune went up 1-0 on Spikes’ RBI single and Warren Central threatened in the home half of the first frame when Tiffany Fuller singled, but was gunned down at home plate on Lauren Anderson’s base hit to right to end the inning.

The Lady Tide added three runs in the second on a run-scoring hit by Dickens and Penton’s RBI double. Feeley had an RBI single.

Warren Central went down in order in the second and third, while Picayune tacked on two more runs in the third.

Penton made it 7-0 with a solo dinger, her second homer of the day, to lead off the fourth and Cassie Rabion had a sac-fly to score Feeley, who had tripled off the left field fence.

The Lady Vikes finally got on the board in the fourth when Tiffany Fuller singled and scored on Johnson’s basehit off the left field fence. But another double play ended the inning.

Feeley made it 11-1 with her run-scoring hit and the Lady Tide ended the game when Doyle lined out to Spikes in left field with a pair of runners on base.