Coming from what coach Sid Naron described as a bad loss against St. Andrews Episcopal, St. Aloysius was able to shake it off in time for its game against Vicksburg.

The Flashes (2-2) earned four runs through the first two innings in their 7-1 win against Vicksburg (1-4). Will Pierce played an instrumental role in the Flashes’ early lead with his performance at the plate. He recorded three hits and four RBIs against Vicksburg.

“Our first four runs were a result of a single by Lane Hynum and a two-run homerun by Will Pierce,” Flashes’ coach Sid Naron said. “Pierce hit a triple to score (Kieran Theriot) and later scored on an in-field single.”

Naron was also high on the performance of his pitcher Landon Middleton who struck out six players, gave up five hits and allowed one run in seven innings.

“Landon Middleton was able to come back and make some really solid pitches against some really good hitters they had in their lineup,” Naron said. “He was able to get a fly out and a ground out, which gave us the momentum back.”

During the top of the fourth with the Flashes holding a 4-0 lead against the Gators, it seemed Vicksburg was in shape to close the gap.

Dewayne Sims hit a line drive into center field for Vicksburg’s second hit of the game. Middleton was able to strikeout Latonio Brown from two fouls, a ball and a missed swing. Gage Ederington then gave the Gators their third hit of the day with another line drive to right field, running in Sims.

“I told them that we needed to get something going, try and win the inning,” Vicksburg coach Derrick DeWald said. “That’s what our motto is. If we win every inning, we can win the ball game.”

Whatever momentum Ederington’s RBI gave the Gators decimated when Lee Simpson scored on a passed ball in the bottom of the fifth. This gave way to the Flashes scoring their final two runs from Hynum and Pierce in the bottom of the sixth.

DeWald said the Gators have to set the tone from the very first pitch. He added that the difference among the three games they’ve lost – to St. Aloysius, Clinton and St. Andrew’s – opposed to its victory over Murrah is simply being able to take early control of their opponent.

“The game that we won, boom we set the tone from the get go, got the lead early and didn’t give it up,” DeWald said. “In the games that we’ve lost, we’ve gotten behind and our guys have just not been able to overcome that deficit. We’re a totally different team when we’re ahead then when we are behind.”

Middleton and Ederington each threw 17 first-pitch strikes, while Ederington recorded only three strikeouts.

The Flashes finished the game with 10 hits, three walks and committed one error, compared to the Gators’ four errors.

 

Warren Central 11, Central Private 0

The Vikings (5-2) closed out the final inning against Central Private (0-1) with six runs scored in its shutout 11-0 victory.

Shockey Shaw had three runs scored as a courtesy runner for Tyler McRight. McRight, DJ Lewis, John Austin Burris and Brooks Boolos went 3-of-4 at the plate.

Through the first three innings the Vikings only had two runs scored. The intensity picked up in the bottom of the fifth when Tyler Vroman hit a line drive to center field for a double, running in Shaw from third and Josh Lieberman from second base.

Conner Wilkinson, Brett Oldenburg, Lewis, Boolos and Shaw all scored runs in the sixth inning.