Warren Central’s baseball team started a little slow Friday night, then slammed on the gas to pull away from Terry.

The Vikings scored a total of 12 runs in the fourth and fifth innings to break open a tight ballgame, and earned their sixth consecutive victory by beating Terry 14-1.

Blake Channell went 2-for-3 with one RBI and two runs scored, Ishmael Trujillo was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored, and Jack Wright had three RBIs for Warren Central (13-6, 5-0 MHSAA Region 6-6A), which clinched a playoff berth with the victory.

The Vikings led 2-1 through three innings, then took advantage of an implosion by Terry in the fourth. The Bulldogs dropped a third strike, committed three consecutive errors, and then walked a batter before Trujillo’s two-run single made it 7-1.

Connor Watkins added an RBI single later in the inning to make it 9-1. The Vikings scored five more runs in the fifth inning — Channell, Wright and Cade Fairley all had RBI singles — and won via the mercy rule.

Watkins was WC’s starting pitcher and went four innings. He allowed one run on two walks and three hits, and struck out four.

Warren Central will play at Northwest Rankin Tuesday at 7 p.m., in a pivotal game in the Region 6-6A championship race. The Vikings and Cougars also play in Vicksburg on April 7 at 7 p.m.

Central Hinds 13, St. Aloysius 10
St. Aloysius nearly staged an epic comeback against Central Hinds on Friday, but couldn’t quite finish it.

The Flashes scored eight runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to chop a nine-run deficit to one, then ran out of gas. Central Hinds scored two needed insurance runs in the seventh and escaped with the win at Bazinsky Field. St. Al only had one baserunner in the last two innings.

Damien Reeves and Keller Bradley both hit two-run singles during the fifth-inning rally. Carson Smith and Cole Autrey also singled in runs. Bradley’s two-run single made it 11-10.

Central Hinds’ Joshua Chavez hit an RBI single in the sxith, and a run scored on a catcher’s interference call to put the Cougars back in front 13-10.

Bradley and Smith both finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs for St. Al (3-14, 2-6 MAIS District 3-5A). Reeves singled, walked twice, scored two runs and drove in two. Barrett Shows also had two hits.

Chavez finished 4-for-5 with four RBIs and two runs scored for Central Hinds (7-13, 3-3), which swept the three-game season series against St. Al. Mac Crawford was 2-for-3 with three RBIs, and Price Foil was 3-for-5 with two RBIs and three runs scored.

Tallulah Academy 5, Franklin Academy 4
Franklin Academy 9, Tallulah Academy 8
Dee Morgan was 2-for-3 with a double, one RBI and two runs scored, and J.T. McDaniel drove in two runs as Tallulah Academy beat Franklin Academy 5-4 in the second game of a doubleheader on Friday.

Cole Boyte also had two hits, including an RBI single, for Tallulah Academy (13-4).

Morgan hit an RBI double and scored on a single by Hopkins in the fourth inning to put the Trojans ahead 5-2. Franklin scored twice in the top of the fifth, but Luke Moberley pitched his way out of the jam to preserve the win.

In game one of the doubleheader, Franklin Academy took advantage of four errors in the sixth inning to score four unearned runs and grab a 9-8 victory.

Tallulah scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth to get within a run, but could not complete the comeback.

Morgan, a Copiah-Lincoln Community College signee, was 2-for-2 with three RBIs and two runs scored in game one. Hopkins and Brayson Morson each had two hits and scored a run.