Warren Central pitcher Darby Gain has been injured for most of the 2015 season.

On Thursday night, she looked as healthy as ever in an 11-1 win over crosstown rival Vicksburg.

The senior capped her return to the circle by striking out seven in a complete game win over the Missy Gators in a game that ballooned out of control after a competitive start.

Gain also helped her own cause by getting three hits and driving in four runs.

“The best thing was, probably tonight even better than our hitting was Darby’s pitching,” Warren Central coach Dana McGivney said. “She was hitting her marks and they were just standing there. Several of them didn’t know what to swing at on the third strike because she was hitting her marks so well.”

Shortstop Lawren Boolos started the scoring in the second inning, reaching on an error before scoring on a throwing error. Warren Central made it 2-0 a couple of batters later when Morgan Stewart singled home a run to cap the inning.

After falling behind, Vicksburg gave up a handful of unearned runs with miscues and errors to push Warren Central’s lead to 6-0, punctuated with a bases-clearing double by Gain.

“With her being injured and coming back and playing so well, that’s a big pick-me-up for the rest of the team,” McGivney said of Gain. “She’s fun to watch when she’s on her marks like that.”

Sarah Kate Smith doubled home a run in the fifth inning before Gain came through with one of her three hits to plate a run with an RBI single to bring the lead to 8-0.

Vicksburg scratched across a run in the sixth inning, but that was all the offense it could muster.

“We’re struggling to make routine plays,” Vicksburg coach Brian Ellis said. “If we don’t make routine plays, you’re not going to win the ballgame and it’s going to spiral way.”

Warren Central was able to end things in the sixth inning through perfectly executed small ball and timely hits with runners in scoring position for the three runs needed to reach the 10-run threshold for the mercy rule.

The win showcased how good the Lady Vikes can be with a healthy Gain and production from the top and bottom of the lineup.

“Sometimes we just kind of tend to hit in groups. We either all hit and we hit well, or we go into an inning or two where we don’t hit and then we’re hitting again,” McGivney said. “We’ve got to get where we’re hitting every inning, but not a bad job.”

WC is headed to the Brookhaven Tournament on Saturday, while Vicksburg will hit the road to face Franklin County.

“If we make the routine plays we’re going to be in every ballgame,” Ellis said. “If we’re scoring two, three runs, we’re going to win a lot of ballgames.”

Cathedral 7, St. Aloysius 1

Cathedral scored four runs in the bottom of the third inning and went on to beat St. Aloysius in the Division 7-1A opener for both teams.

Elizabeth Smith had a two-run single to key Cathedral’s decisive rally, which was also helped along by two wild pitches, two walks and an error.

Jordan McDonald singled and scored a run for St. Al (3-3, 0-1), and Michelle Howington hit a double. The Lady Flashes only had three hits.