Added speed to the lineup has gotten the Warren Central’s softball season back on track.

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The Lady Vikes won their second straight game Tuesday evening at Lucy Young Field, beating archrival and lone division foe Vicksburg, 6-0.

Speedy junior outfielder Audrianna Ratliff, who before this season had never played organized softball, came up big for the Lady Vikes with two hits and two runs scored. The win improves WC to 4-6 overall and puts them a game up, along with a six-run cushion, over Vicksburg. The two teams play against on Sept. 17 at Halls Ferry Park.

“We’ll have a six-run lead for the division title when we go over to their place,” said WC coach Lucy Young. “We’ve made some changes since the Brandon game last week and I think they are going to benefit us. We added more speed to the lineup. We brought in Audrianna Ratliff and Alexis (Patterson). Audrianna has tremendous speed and if she gets on, she’s going to get around the bases and score. Her improvement both with the bat and in the field has a been fun to see because before this year, she had never played organized softball. Alexis is a good defensive player and she’s gotten better with her bat.”

Ratliff, who last spring qualified for the Class 5A state track meet in the 400-meter dash, said a friend convinced to try out for softball.

“She was going out and I came out with her and made the team,” Ratliff said. “I like winning.”

Ratliff did her part in the third inning as WC held a 1-0 lead. She beat out a ground ball to short to load the bases after the first two Lady Vikes had reached on two of the seven errors committed by the Missy Gators (3-5, 0-1).

Following a pop out, Patterson doubled to center to score Blair Thornton and Sydnei Smith for a 3-0 lead. Ratliff came home after Patterson went to third and made it after a dropped relay throw for Vicksburg’s third error of the inning.

In the fifth, Ratliff led off with a single to left and then scored to make it 6-0.

Vicksburg’s offense came mainly from eight walks issued by Patterson. Vicksburg could not, however, capitalize. The Missy Gators finished with just two hits, a single in the first by Tira Erwin and a single in the second by Paige Bowser and struck out six times.

Vicksburg coach Michelle Fisackerly blamed rust and nerves.

“We had a five-day layoff and I think nerves got the better of us,” Fisackerly said. “I think we played okay. We needed a couple of more hits and put them together.”

WC ended with nine hits led by Ratliff’s two and Kylie Wells’ two. One of Wells’ hits was an RBI double in the second inning that gave WC a 1-0 lead.

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Contact Jeff Byrd at jbyrd@vicksburgpost.com