Held without a hit through five innings, Brandon finally strung enough hits together to beat Warren Central 2-1 in a key Division 6-5A softball game at Lady Vikes Field Tuesday.

The Lady Bulldogs (5-6, 1-0) broke a 1-1 tie in the seventh when Amber McBroom roped a single down the left field line to score Whitney Warner with the go-ahead run. The hit was Brandon’s third of the inning and McBroom’s second of the game.

Warren Central (10-2, 0-1) could not answer in the bottom of the seventh as Warner induced two flyouts and a groundout to retire the Lady Vikes in order and preserve the 2-1 win.

“This is the first good thing to happen to us this year,” Brandon coach Richard Joiner said. “We’ve been struggling with our hitting but today we did something about it late in the game.”

The Lady Bulldogs finished with five hits, all coming in the last two innings. WC, meanwhile, had seven hits through the first four innings but none after the fourth as Warner retired the last nine batters in order.

“Our hitting did us in today,” WC coach Lucy Young said. “We played good defense. The catch Tai (Wince) made in right saved us at least two runs. She made an error on the throw but that was because she was trying for a double play.”

Wince’s running grab of Ashley Sistrunk’s liner gave Brandon two out in the seventh inning and prevented Warner and Alicia Berry, both who had reached on leadoff hits, from scoring. But her throw past first, allowed the two Lady Bulldogs to move up a base. McBroom then singled hard to left to score Warner.

WC got its lone run in the first when Mandy Fuller singled with two out and then drew a bad throw to third base as she tried to advance on Bridgit Dillon’s hit. The errant throw sent Fuller home for a 1-0 lead. WC would get two hits each in the second and fourth innings but could not get score.

“With a good team like Brandon you can’t try to go over their heads, you have to go through them,” Young said. “You have to make it difficult for their fielders by getting the ball low.”

Young said the division loss makes it more difficult for WC to obtain its goals of being a factor in the Class 5A playoffs.

“This was a huge game because it’s a division game and it can determine who and where we play in the playoffs. Our goal is to play at home. But if you’re going to lose, its better to do it by one run and fight another day. Maybe next time we’ll hit better and if we beat them by more than one run, we win the division.”

Both teams are assured a playoff spot but the division winner gets to host the first round. The two teams square off again in Brandon on Sept. 25.

McBroom led Brandon with two hits and a RBI. Mandy Fuller and Dillon each had two hits for WC. The Lady Vikes host Cathedral on Thursday and then play in the Clinton Tournament on Saturday.