Lady Vikes put down Vicksburg|Prep softball

Published 12:00 am Saturday, March 7, 2009

It took a week, but Warren Central finally got its trophy.

Mandy Fuller doubled in two runs, Sydnei Smith tripled and scored twice, and the Lady Vikes beat Vicksburg High 4-1 Friday night at Bazinsky Park. The game counted as the championship of the Lady Vikes Invitational, which had its final postponed by cold weather last Saturday.

“It felt like a normal game. We just got an award at the end,” said WC pitcher Andi Hearn, who allowed one unearned run and two hits in seven innings. Hearn also went 2-for-3 at the plate.

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Vicksburg pitcher Kristi Shelby kept pace with Hearn, holding WC (8-4) to six hits while striking out three and walking none. The Missy Gators’ defense committed three errors and dropped a third strike, however, leading to three unearned runs for Warren Central. Two of those came in the top of the fifth, and allowed WC to put the game away.

With one out, Smith struck out swinging but the ball got by the catcher and she was able to reach first. Mallory Reynolds followed with a pop-up in front of home plate that was dropped by Shelby, and Hearn popped out to the shortstop to bring Fuller to the plate. The hard-hitting catcher laced a double into left field, bringing both runners around and giving the Lady Vikes a 4-0 lead.

Warren Central also used two errors to score one of its two runs in the first inning.

“That’s what we’ve done. One or two errors, and one or two baserunning mistakes always hurt us,” Vicksburg coach Amanda Yocum said. “We’re not going to be a hitting team like Warren Central. We’ve worked on our short game, with the bunt and the slap. We got on base, we just didn’t capitalize.”

Vicksburg got one run back in the bottom of the fifth, when a leadoff error eventually led to Claire Ray’s RBI single. Hearn got the next batter to line out, though, and allowed only a walk in the last two innings.

Hearn retired 10 of 11 batters at one point, and six of the last seven.

“I told her before the game that this is her last chance to pitch against Vicksburg, so go out and pitch the game of your life. And that’s what she did,” WC coach Dana McGivney said. “She pitched probably the most complete game she’s pitched all year.”