Vikings beat Madison Central on Landers’ walk-off hit
Published 9:18 pm Friday, March 3, 2023
After only two weeks of the high school baseball season, one thing seems clear — if you leave a Warren Central game early, you’re probably going to miss the best part.
Ishmael Trujillo led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a walk, then scored on a single by Kylan Landers to give Warren Central a 6-5 walk-off victory over Madison Central on Friday night.
It was the fourth time in eight outings that Warren Central (5-3) has finished a game on a walk-off play. It has won two of them and lost two. This one ended the right way for them, and in dramatic fashion.
Trailing 5-2 entering the bottom of the sixth, the Vikings scored three runs to tie it. Two walks and a double by Maddox Lynch loaded the bases, and all three runners scored on a misplayed grounder.
After Madison Central (4-3) was retired in order in the top of the seventh, the Vikings didn’t take long to finish their epic comeback against a longtime nemesis.
Trujillo worked a walk and was bunted to second base by Blake Channell. Landers then hit the second pitch he saw into right field and Trujillo came around to score the winning run.
Landers, Seth Sterling and Connor Watkins all drove in one run for the Vikings, and Lynch was 2-for-3 with two doubles and two runs scored.
Brooks Willoughby pitched five innings and allowed four runs, but only one was earned. He finished with 12 strikeouts. Watkins pitched the last two innings and got the victory.
Thomas Nichols was 1-for-3 with one RBI and two runs scored for Madison Central, and Reed McCrillis had two hits and scored a run. Chase Russell allowed one earned run and had 10 strikeouts in six innings.
Warren Central beat Madison Central for only the fifth time in 33 meetings since 2008.
Warren Central will be back in action Saturday at 1 p.m., at home vs. Tensas Academy.