Vikings heat up by beating Pearl

Published 9:12 pm Saturday, February 17, 2024

PEARL — Warren Central didn’t have any last-inning drama this time and, as a result, had a bit more fun.

Maddox Lynch hit three doubles and drove in four runs, and the Vikings scored 10 runs over the last three innings to beat Pearl 10-2 on a cold, windy Saturday afternoon.

Warren Central (1-2) had the tying run thrown out at home for the final out in its opener vs. Madison Central, and then took a walk-off loss Friday against Hartfield Academy in losing its first two games. It struggled offensively for four innings Saturday, then finally got rolling in the fifth.

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An RBI single by Cade Fairley brought in the team’s first run, and an RBI ground out by Cole Autrey tied it. Lynch followed with a double to center field that scored Fairley to put the Vikings ahead 3-2.

Lynch hit a two-out, two-run double in the sixth inning and scored on Justin Evans’ RBI single to help extend the lead to 8-2.

Autrey and Lynch hit back-to-back RBI doubles in the seventh for the Vikings’ final two runs.

Autrey finished 1-for-4 with a double, walk, two RBIs and two runs scored. Fairley scored two runs, and Lester Martin drove in two.

WC pitcher Nathaniel Moore had five strikeouts in four innings and earned the win. Conner Watkins had three strikeouts in 1 2/3 innings of relief.

Warren Central will make several more visits to Rankin County over the next 10 days. It will play in the Mid-Mississippi Classic Feb. 22-24, and then has a road game at Jackson Prep on Feb. 27.

The Vikings will play Sumrall at Northwest Rankin High School on Feb. 22 at 4 p.m.; North Pike at Ridgeland High School at 4 p.m. on Feb. 23; and Starkville at X1 p.m. on Feb. 24, also at Ridgeland.

About Ernest Bowker

Ernest Bowker is The Vicksburg Post's sports editor. He has been a member of The Vicksburg Post's sports staff since 1998, making him one of the longest-tenured reporters in the paper's 140-year history. The New Jersey native is a graduate of LSU. In his career, he has won more than 50 awards from the Mississippi Press Association and Associated Press for his coverage of local sports in Vicksburg.

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