Elliott lifts Vikings over Madison again|[3/4/06]

Published 12:00 am Monday, March 6, 2006

Randy Broome had a feeling that Sean Elliott might just come through with two out in the bottom of the seventh in a 4-4 game with Madison Central.

On a 2-2 pitch, Elliott ripped a ball over the head of Madison Central centerfielder Josh DeMoney, scoring Ben Koestler for a dramatic 5-4 win for the Warren Central Vikings Friday night at Viking Field.

The win was the second straight for the Vikings (5-3, 2-0 Divison 3-5A) over the visiting Jaguars (3-2, 0-2) who entered this week ranked No. 2 in the state. WC won 5-3 at Madison on Tuesday night in the division opener.

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&#8220No doubt, this week has been huge for us,” Broome said. &#8220We feel like any one of our guys can step up. It’s all about holding that rope.

&#8220I thought Sean would come through, even with two strikes on him, because Tuesday night over there, he hit two balls on the nose with two strikes,” Broome said.

&#8220I think about that every night before I go to sleep,” said Elliott who came to Vicksburg from Pine Bluff, Ark. &#8220I just had to come through.”

Despite being two games down to the Vikings and Vicksburg in the divisional standings, Madison Central coach Greg Perry wasn’t too discouraged by the tough loss.

&#8220It’s only March 3, there’s no hole for us,” Perry said.

&#8220We had a lot of walks that we had to fight through, but we fought back to tie it after being down 4-2.&#8220.

The Vikings won despite committing three errors, including two in the outfield.

A dropped fly ball helped set up Madison for a game-tying run in the fifth that made it 2-2 when Ben Hodge scored on WC’s second error, a bad relay throw off a potential double-play ball.

Viking pinch-hitter Harry Ferguson, however, picked up his teammates with a clutch one-out single to right, scoring Eric Douglas and Josh Gordon for a 4-2 lead.

Madison got a run back in the sixth when Tyler Akins doubled and then scored on Mitch Harrison’s hit up the middle which saw Gordon and second baseman Jonathon Ettinger collide.

Elliott, who was in center since Nick Carson was pitching, froze after seeing the collision.

&#8220I was more worried about my players than the ball,” he said.

Ettinger got the worse of the collision but stayed in the game.

Madison tied it in the seventh off Gordon, who came to the mound in relief of Carson. Hodge led off with a double and then took third when the cutoff throw was blown, and DeMoney followed, after an out, with a triple to right-center.

Nathan Hardy then sent a fly ball into right. WC’s Jeff Ward, who was way high on his previous two throws, threw this one right on line to nail Hardy at the plate.

&#8220I thought our guy was safe at the plate,” Perry said.

Gordon led off the WC seventh with a hit but was erased on Koestler’s fielders choice. Ward came through with a hit to center and Parker White’s fielders choice moved Koestler into position for Elliott.

Vicksburg 11, Greenville 0.

Avery Mathes threw a two-hit shutout, Gerald Mims and Tyler Wells both homered to back him, and Vicksburg routed Greenville for the second time this week.

Steven Price added three hits for Vicksburg (6-0, 2-0 Division 3-5A), which scored 30 runs against Greenville in two games. Eric Coleman also tripled for the Gators, while Price and Jordan Henry doubled.

Hillcrest 13, PCA 6.

Porters Chapel jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first against Hillcrest, but committed six errors, allowed 10 walks and took a tough seven-run loss.

Dan Ivey hit a two-run homer for PCA (4-1) in the first, while Moose Carney and Hayden Hales each delivered RBI singles. Hillcrest (3-0) answered with five runs in the bottom of the inning, however, and never trailed again.

Hillcrest’s Justin Reed went 2-for-2 with four RBIs. His three-run home run highlighted a six-run third inning that blew the game open.

St. Aloysius 6, Enterprise 5.

Jordan Muirhead pitched out of a seventh-inning jam, getting a strikeout with the bases loaded to preserve St. Al’s win over Enterprise-Lincoln.

Ryno Martin-Nez threw six strong innings to earn the win for St. Al (3-1, 2-0 Division 7-1A). Blake Tidwell backed him by driving in three runs.

Muirhead also added two hits to St. Al’s cause and threw a runner out at home from center field in the first inning.