When a good-hitting team like Warren Central is dialed in and on its game, Vicksburg coach Michelle Fisackerly said there’s really only one thing the opponent can do.

“Nothing. Pray that they don’t hit,” Fisackerly said.

At least on Tuesday, that prayer went unaswered.

Warren Central batted around twice and scored 16 runs in the top of the first inning as it routed Vicksburg 16-1 at the Softball Swamp. It was the 11th time in 16 games that WC has scored 10 runs or more.

“They get their heads right mentally and they come out and they hit the ball. Through the lineup, I don’t have any questions that any of them can hit the ball at any given time,” Warren Central coach Dana McGivney. “They’ve just got to come out mentally ready to play and hit, and I think that’s what we did the first inning and then we kind of let down a little bit after that.”

The Lady Vikes might have worn themselves out in the first inning. They had seven consecutive hits after a leadoff walk by Kasy Cortezie, and 12 hits total. Dee Dee Caldwell and Morgan Stewart each drove in two runs with a single, and Caldwell had a two-run double on her second trip to the plate.

Caldwell finished 2-for-3 with four RBIs and two runs scored. Her double was Warren Central’s only extra base hit among the 13 hits it had in the game.

Stewart had two hits, two RBIs and scored twice. Cocoa Fultz drove in two runs and scored two, and Sarah Kate Smith went 3-for-3.

Kelsey Lockridge hit a solo home run in the bottom of the first inning for Vicksburg’s only run.

“We were just hitting the ball really well. We were picking out good pitches,” Smith said.

Hillcrest 14, Porters Chapel 7
Hillcrest Christian (9-12) scored seven runs in the third inning to blow open a close game, and went on to beat Porters Chapel Academy (20-7).

Aaliyah Dixon went 3-for-3 with a triple, two doubles and six RBIs scored for Hillcrest. She had a bases-clearing triple and scored a run during the big third inning, and RBI doubles in the first and sixth.

Sabrina Embry went 3-for-4 and scored twice for PCA. Shelby Barwick was 2-for-2 with an RBI and two runs scored, and Mallarie Ashley doubled and drove in four runs.

Although PCA lost on Tuesday, it was still a good week for the program. PCA rallied for eight runs in the last two innings Monday night to beat Franklin Academy 12-11 in a key District 5-AA game. Kaylee Hinson had four RBIs for the Lady Eagles.

The win over Franklin will send PCA into this weekend’s MAIS Class AA South State tournament as a No. 2 seed. The tournament will be played Saturday and Monday at Amite School Center in Liberty.