Winning Thursday’s matinee against Park Place Christian didn’t put St. Aloysius in or out of the MAIS Class 4A baseball playoffs, but a victory did help its cause.

Wes Warnock went 5-for-5 with a home run, triple, three RBIs and three runs scored, and Adam Francisco went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored as St. Al beat Park Place 10-3.

St. Al (15-8, 5-6 MAIS District 3-4A) had already clinched a playoff berth, but Thursday’s win kept it alive for the No. 3 seed from its district. The Flashes can get that by sweeping Central Hinds in a doubleheader Friday in Raymond.

Conner Paxton pitched five innings of shutout ball in Thursday’ win. He allowed three hits, walked one batter, and struck out four while the offense slowly pulled away.

Warnock led off the game with a triple and scored on a ground out, and Francisco hit an RBI single to put St. Al ahead 2-0 in the first inning. Francisco hit another RBI single in the third inning and scored on a passed ball to make it 4-0, and Brandon Steed added an RBI single in the fifth.

Three more runs in the sixth inning — two scored on a double by Paxton — and a two-run homer by Warnock in the seventh blew it open for the Flashes.

The first five batters in St. Al’s lineup — Warnock, Steed, Tristan Wilbanks, Francisco and Paxton — combined for 12 of the team’s 13 hits and drove in nine of the 10 runs. They scored eight runs.

Matthew Pitre allowed one hit and struck out four in two innings of scoreless relief.

Evan Arnold hit an RBI double for Park Place (1-17).