While Vicksburg High continues to make strides with its slow pitch softball program, the Missy Gators are still a ways away from challenging the Warren Central Lady Vikes.

Warren Central (10-1) doubled-up its crosstown rivals on hits, 18-9, and used that to pound out a 13-4 win Tuesday evening at Halls Ferry Park. Nine of the 10 Lady Vikes in the lineup, which was without two of its best hitters, had at least one hit.

“We had a pretty good hitting today and we played good defense,” WC coach Lucy Young said. “I was glad to see that we came out ready after having a good day Saturday.”

The Lady Vikes won all three games, including a win over Vicksburg in the finals, to claim the Warren Central Invitational on Saturday.

In Tuesday’s rematch on Vicksburg’s home field, the Lady Vikes played without left fielder Tiffany Fuller and starting pitcher Mandy Fuller.

“Tiffany has a hamstring pull and we want to keep her out until next Tuesday against Brandon. That’s our first district game and that will determine how our placement is going to be for the playoffs,” Young said.

Mandy Fuller was sitting out for a disciplinary reason.

WC didn’t miss a beat, getting three hits from Anna Jones and Andi Hearn while a revamped top three in the Lady Vikes’ lineup in Kaitlyn Patton, Shawn Johnson and Ke Ke Prentiss all had two hits.

“We were ready to play,” Jones said. “Vicksburg has gotten a lot better since last year,”

Second-year Missy Gator coach Laura Coulter agreed.

“We are much better. Slowly, but surely we are improving. We had some girls off our fast-pitch team come out this fall and they brought a leadership quality with them that’s helped us,” Coulter said. “They know more about the game. We still need to play better defense and our hitting needs to get better.”

The Missy Gators were down just 3-1 in the second inning when they had the bases loaded with only one out and their top two hitters up in Kristi Shelby and Claiborne Bryant. But Prentiss, subbing for Mandy Fuller on the mound, got both to pop out to end the threat.

WC then scored two in the third and four in the fourth to go up 9-1. Mandy Bordelon drove in two with a two-out single, and Hearn followed with an RBI double.

Vicksburg (4-7) got two runs back in its half of the fourth after a double by Mary Quinn DeRossette and a single from Leah Davies.

Three runs in the WC sixth made it 12-3. They added a 13th run in the seventh on Jones’ RBI double to left.

Vicksburg got its last run in the bottom of the seventh on Janitra Bingham’s RBI single. Bryant, Bingham and Davies all had two hits to pace the Missy Gators, who will host Indianola Gentry at 6 p.m. on Thursday.