Baseball Roundup: Vikings outslug Hartfield; Gators fall to Florence
Published 5:44 pm Saturday, March 2, 2024
Warren Central’s offense came to life in the final week of February, and its hot hitting streak appears to have carried into March.
Cole Autrey homered, Cade Fairley went 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and three runs scored, and the Vikings outslugged Hartfield Academy 14-10 in a Saturday baseball matinee.
The Vikings (4-4) had 12 hits total and posted a season-high run total. They’ve won four of their last six games and scored at least seven runs in each of the victories.
They came out swinging against Hartfield as well. A two-run double by Brooks Willoughby was part of a six-run outburst in the bottom of the first inning, and they tagged on three more runs in the second to go up 9-2.
Hartfield came back with six runs of its own in the third inning, and Warren Central saw its huge early lead dwindle to 10-9 entering the fifth. RBI singles by Fairley and Lester Martin, as well as a balk that brought in another run, pushed the lead back to 13-9. Autrey’s home run leading off the bottom of the sixth inning finished off the scoring.
Maddox Lynch was 2-for-2 for Warren Central, with two RBIs and two runs scored. Hayes Loper had two hits, including a double, and scored three times. Autrey had three RBIs and Willoughby had two.
Nathaniel Moore pitched three innings of relief to get the win. He allowed one hit and two walks, and one unearned run. Fairley worked around two walks to pitch a scoreless seventh inning and earn the save.
Warren Central will play again Tuesday at 7 p.m., when it hosts Pearl.
Florence 13, Vicksburg 3
Florence scored four unearned runs in the third inning to gain some separation from Vicksburg High, and then pulled away from there to earn a six-inning run-rule victory on Saturday.
Seven of Florence’s nine starters had a hit, and four of the Eagles’ five hits went for extra bases. Florence (6-4) scored 12 of its 13 runs from the third inning on. Vicksburg’s pitchers walked 11 batters.
Hayden Boykin singled, walked, scored twice and drove in a run, while Luke Nichelson reached base four times and scored once.
Mickell Jones was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI for Vicksburg, and Seven West was 1-for-2 with a single, walk, RBI and one run scored.
Vicksburg (3-5) had a three-game winning streak snapped. It will try to bounce back Tuesday, when it goes on the road to play McComb at 7 p.m.