The two buzzwords for Warren Central’s softball team this week have been focus and energy.

They put the two together Thursday and cut through St. Martin like a laser beam.

Pitcher Abby Morgan retired the last 10 batters she faced while throwing a one-hit shutout, and the Lady Vikes scored in every inning as they beat St. Martin 10-0 in Game 1 of an MHSAA Class 6A playoff series.

“Coach Mac’s big thing the past few games have been focus and energy, and I think we were focused and had a lot of energy since the first pitch. That helped a lot,” said Warren Central catcher Lola Crozier, who had three RBIs.

Game 2 of the best-of-three series is Saturday at 3 p.m. at St. Martin. If Game 3 is needed, it will be Monday at 5 p.m. back at Warren Central.

Warren Central coach Dana McGivney said a big challenge for her team as they head to the Coast will be riding the fine line between confidence and overconfidence following a big win in Game 1.

“You can’t sit on today. Today is done,” McGivney said. “You’ve got to go down there Saturday and play a brand new ballgame, because it doesn’t matter what we did today. If we just say, ‘Oh, we beat them,’ then they can beat us twice. So we have to bring our best game.”

St. Martin’s Autumn Johnson led off the game with a double, and then Morgan shut them down the rest of the way. The senior right-hander did not allow another hit, and a two-out walk to Alexes Dinh in the second inning was the only other batter who reached base.

Morgan finished with four strikeouts in five innings pitched.

“It was really just her fastball. She beat them with speed and she hit her spots. She pitched a good game,” Crozier said.

The Lady Vikes’ hitters didn’t waste any time in giving Morgan a lead to work with. They scored single runs in the first and second innings, and then blew the game open with six in the third.

Three runs came across on a pair of walks and a hit batter. Jenn Smith followed those with a two-run double that made it 8-0, and Mary Evelyn Hossley finished the rally with an RBI single.

Crozier hit an RBI single in the fourth inning to bring in the final run, and the game ended via the mercy rule after the top of the fifth.

Smith finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs, and Makayla Jackson was 2-for-2 with one RBI and two runs scored. Kamryn Morson and Adalyn Anderson also scored two runs apiece.

“It’s huge, especially like that,” McGivney said of winning Game 1. “To come out and hit the ball well, to play well defensively, that’s all you can ask and they definitely did that.”