WC inches closer to division title|[9/20/05]
Published 12:00 am Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Warren Central virtually guaranteed itself of a playoff spot with a 12-1 victory over Vicksburg on Monday afternoon in a makeup game that was postponed by Hurricane Katrina.
The Lady Vikes (14-6) can win the division outright if they beat Natchez on the road today.
“We played Natchez early on in the season and I know they are an improved team,” WC coach Lucy Young said. “They are going to be ready.”
Warren Central has already beaten Natchez, 8-2, and is 3-0 in Division 6-5A. Vicksburg fell to 1-16.
VHS coach Kori Crutchfield said despite her team’s record, she sees improvement every day.
“We are trying to change the way we look at the game,” Crutchfield said. “Instead of looking at the score, we want to look at what we do and get better from that.”
The Missy Gators’ defense committed only one error and the game was close until the fifth inning. The VHS hitting, though, was nonexistent.
Mandy Fuller retired the first 10 batters she faced and carried a no-hitter with two outs in the fifth before she allowed her second walk of the night. Savannah Pritchard and Kelli Brewer hit back-to-back singles for Vicksburg in the fifth to trail 7-1.
“When Mandy is on, she is a very good pitcher,” Young said. “When she’s focused, she can work the batters really well.”
Warren Central put the game away in the sixth with three runs on three hits. Tiffany Fuller’s RBI single highlighted the three-run sixth.
The Lady Vikes added a pair of runs, highlighted by Anna Griffing’s RBI single.
“We started off a little slowly, but I thought we did a good job picking our game up,” Young said. “I was pleased with our patience at the plate and how we selected pitches. We want to hit at this time of year, not take walks.”
Bridget Dillon had two singles and two RBIs and Mandy Fuller singled and doubled as the Lady Vikes had 13 hits. The Lady Vikes also took advantage of nine walks.
Four of those came consecutively in the second inning as WC jumped out to a 4-0 lead. Kaitlyn Patton and Fatima Chase each had RBI walks in the first inning.