Warren Central baseball coach Randy Broome is beyond frustrated trying to figure out his team.

One night, the Vikings are fired up and firing on all cylinders in taking a 16-6 victory over Clinton. The next day, they are lifeless, filled with errors and bone-head mistakes in a 9-1 loss to Madison Central.

Broome has tried everything he can think of short of fielding and hitting for his team.

“When you don’t show up, you can’t beat the Bad News Bears,” Broome said following the 9-1 loss to No. 8 Madison Central (16-4) on Saturday afternoon. “It doesn’t matter what they do. We have to show up and play the game and if we don’t, we can’t beat anybody. It will be no contest. We’ve shown that all year long.

“When we show up, we are not a bad team, but when we don’t show up, we will lose badly.”

Fourteen hours before teeing it up with the Jaguars, the Vikings (5-13) defeated Division 4-5A rival Clinton by way of the mercy rule, but on Saturday, the Vikings scraped together only four hits against Madison pitcher Brandon McHenry. Warren Central had runners in scoring position four times, but only once did the Vikings score. That came in the bottom of the third when Heath Carroll, who had doubled, scored on an error. With one out and Adam Lee on first base, Jonathan Longmire popped up to shortstop and Lee, thinking there were two outs, broke for second. He was easily doubled off first base to end the threat.

McHenry proceeded to retire 9 of the next 11 batters before giving way in the seventh to sidearm reliever L.J. Hollis. He walked two in the second, but with two outs a baserunning blunder ended the game.

“That’s typical Warren Central this year,” Broome said. “Jeckyll and Hyde.”

Longmire, who had not pitched this season because of soreness in his right arm, threw three strong innings before getting touched in the third.

Already ahead 1-0, Madison scored four runs — two each on a double by Michael Rutland and a home run by Tyler Akins — for a 5-0 lead. Akins also singled and ended the day with three RBIs as the Jaguars belted 10 hits off of three Viking pitchers.

The Jaguars put the game away in the top of the fifth against reliever John Michael Harris. Two walks, an error and a hit batter forced in one run and chased Harris for Colby Key. Rob Thames hit a one-out double to score two runs and the Jags scored four in the inning for a 9-1 lead.

“We try to put pressure on the defense by getting runners on base and hopefully hitting one in the gap,” Madison Central assistant coach Brian Hardy said. “That doesn’t happen all the time, but today it did.” Key pitched the final three innings and did not allow a run.

Louisville 9, WC 7

Louisville scored six runs over the final two innings to hand WC its second loss of the day.

Dustin Hardin hit a home run, while Adam Lee had a single and a double and Jimmie Elliott hit a two-RBI double.

Jonathan Longmire doubled and drove in a run and Cody Barfield hit two doubles in the loss.