It’s hard to know what to expect in tonight’s Division 3-5A showdown between county rivals Vicksburg and Warren Central.

Both teams enter the critical contest at Viking Field tied for second place in the division at 2-2, two games behind Madison Central (4-0). The top two teams in the four-team division advance to the playoffs.

Vicksburg coach Jamie Creel is hoping he can get a good showing from his defense which let him down in two losses at the Ouachita Tournament in Monroe and West Monroe.

&#8220It’s something that makes me more than a little nervous about,” Creel said after his Gators (8-7) commited six errors leading to seven unearned runs in a 12-11 loss to Neville on Friday. VHS made five more errors in an 18-8 loss to West Monroe on Saturday.

&#8220It’s hard to beat anybody giving up eight outs an inning. We’re swinging the bats pretty well, but we’re giving it right back to them with our defense,” Creel said.

At least the Gators came back to finish the Monroe tournament with a 2-2 record after beating West Ouachita 12-8 on Saturday. They won their first game on Thursday beating Ouachita Parish 2-0 behind a one-hit shutout from left-handed ace Stanton Price.

Price will be on the mound tonight against the Vikings.

&#8220We used the (Monroe) tournament to get ready for (this) week and we really needed a good outing from Stanton. He looked real sharp,” Creel said.

Price is 3-2 on the season, inlcuding a pair of shutouts.

Warren Central coach Randy Broome should get to put his full team on the field against the Gators. The Vikings (4-11) played all four of its tournament games in Monroe with six junior varsity starters.

The moves were necessary after six regular starters missed a Wednesday practice after a Spring Break trip to Florida. Broome declined comment on his disciplinary action but did confirm the players would be back in the lineup against the Gators.

&#8220This is a big week for us because we’re back on the district road,” Broome said after a 15-8 loss to Neville on Saturday afternoon. The Vikings concluded the tournament with a 1-3 mark, beating Ouachita Parish 7-5 Saturday night behind a big game from centerfielder Sean Elliott who drove in three runs off two hits.

Broome will pick either Chris Whittington (1-3) or Jonathan Longmire (1-3) to start against Vicksburg. The two teams will meet again Friday night at Bazinsky Field at 7 p.m.