A rare misstep at home means Warren Central will have to win on the road to keep its baseball season alive.

Josh Lee allowed one run and struck out nine batters in a complete-game victory, and Gulfport scored three runs in the second inning as it beat Warren Central 3-1 in Game 1 of their MHSAA Class 6A playoff series on Tuesday.

It was only the second loss in 12 home games for Warren Central (17-10), and first since February. The Vikings will now have to win Game 2 Friday at 6 p.m. at Gulfport to force a deciding third game back at Viking Field on Saturday afternoon.

Warren Central’s Kylan Landers pitched five innings and worked around trouble several times — he gave up three hits and five walks — but it caught up to him in the second.

Nico Williams hit a leadoff double and Dawson Hall drew a walk. After a sacrifice bunt, Braxton Williams and Ethan Garner hit RBI singles and another run scored on an error to put the Admirals ahead 3-0.

Jack Wright hit an RBI single in the fourth inning to put Warren Central on the board, but it only had one hit in the last three innings. Lee retired the last seven batters he faced.

Gulfport (20-11) finished with only five hits, with three of them coming in the second inning.

Charlie Appleton had two hits for Warren Central, while Landers and Conner Watkins each hit a double. Wright was 1-for-3 with his RBI single, and he and Watkins also pitched one inning of scoreless relief each.

WARREN CENTRAL VS. GULFPORT
MHSAA Class 6A baseball playoffs, second round
• Game 1 – Gulfport 3, Warren Central 1
• Game 2 – Friday, 6 p.m, at Gulfport
• Game 3 – Saturday, 2 p.m., at Warren Central