Tre Prentiss thought he might have gotten there.

Vicksburg coach Cody Zumbro thought he was out. Warren Central coach Josh Abraham thought he was safe. The umpire called Prentiss safe after he dove towards the third base bag with two out in the bottom of the seventh inning in a 1-1 game.

With Prentiss safe on third, the Vikings had the chance to end the key Division 4-6A game on a number of different ways. What they got was a walk-off free pass as Vicksburg pitcher Clyde Kendrick lost WC’s Hunter Austin with high-and-inside 3-1 pitch.

The Vikings (7-5, 2-0 4-6A) celebrated a 2-1 win while the Gators (5-7, 0-2) fumed, Zumbro especially.

“We got him at third base,” Zumbro said of third baseman Nic Clay’s race to the bag to beat Prentiss. “It’s just a shame a good game had to be determined on a call like that.”

Prentiss saw it differently.

“To me, I was safe,” Prentiss said. “I was nervous. When contact was made, I just ran. I knew it would be close. I just dove for it.”

Abraham knew it was close, but felt Prentiss had made it.

“It was a bang-bang play,” Abraham said. “I thought he got there.”

Despite the game-ending walk to Austin, both coaches said that Kendrick pitched a gutsy game.

“That’s all we can ask of him,” Zumbro said. “He competed. He gave us a chance to win.”

Abraham agreed.

“Clyde Kendrick pitched a great game,” Abraham said. “He was a gem out there.”

Viking pitcher Devon Bell, however, was better for the second straight time. Last week, Bell threw a no-hitter to beat the Gators 2-0. This time, Vicksburg got four hits, including Lamar Anthony’s double to left that tied the game at 1 in the sixth inning.

Kendrick, who had two of the Gators’ four hits, got his second in the top of the seventh. He stole second base, but was left there as Bell struck out Cody Waddell to end the inning. Bell had four strikeouts in the game, but issued just two walks. He improved to 3-1 on the season.

Kendrick led off the bottom of the seventh by walking Clayton Ashley, his eighth free pass. But every time his walks gave WC opportunities, he came back to make a big pitch. He got Beau Wallace to hit into a double play and force the Vikings to have to win with no one on and two outs.

They did just that. Carlos Gonzalez singled to right and Prentiss came into run for him. Will Stegall sent a shot off Kendrick’s leg that caromed into a hole on the right side of the infield.

Gates was next and his high chopper to Clay at third base was enough to get Prentiss there to load the bases.

Through the first four innings, the Vikings left eight men stranded. They did get a run in the second inning, when Austin doubled and scored on Bell’s hit down the right-field line.

Three walks by Kendrick loaded the bases in the third inning, but the Gator lefty struck out the next two Vikings to end the threat.

Vicksburg had a chance to get a run in the fifth with two on and one out. Kendrick was caught in a run down off second. Wallace ran him down following fourth toss and then kept running toward the bag where he caught Waddell before he got to second base for a bizarre double play.

“We made a mental mistake by not getting to second base on that play,” Zumbro said.

Kendrick’s two hits led Vicksburg, who also got a double from Jonathan Clay. WC was paced by Austin’s double and run scored while Gonzalez reached all four times on a hit and three walks.