Lady Vikes rip Ridgeland in Region 2-6A softball opener
Published 8:59 pm Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Warren Central bumped its MHSAA Region 2-6A softball opener up a day to beat the rain, and wound up beating Ridgeland as well.
Sarah Cameron Fancher was 2-for-3 with a double, one RBI and three runs scored, and Madison Pant pitched a five-inning shutout as the Lady Vikes rolled to a 13-0 run-rule victory against Ridgeland.
Warren Central (11-3, 1-0 Region 2-6A) earned its third win in a row, and won for the sixth time in seven games. It had 10 hits and scored in four of the five innings played.
The game was originally scheduled for Thursday, but moved to Wednesday night because of the threat of rain.
After easing out to a 3-0 lead through two innings, the Lady Vikes blew the game open by scoring seven times in the fourth. Nine consecutive batters reached base, with Jenn Smith, Keke McKay, Kamryn Morson and Tyra Bridges all delivering RBI singles.
Bridges’ hit was the last of the inning and made it 10-0.
Fancher walked and scored on a single by Pant in the top of the fifth inning as Warren Central scored three more runs to push it to 13-0.
Fancher, an East Central Community College signee, also hit an RBI double in the first inning to bring in the first run of the game.
Smith finished 2-for-2 with two RBIs and two runs scored. McKay was 2-for-3 with two RBIs, and Makayla Jackson walked three times and scored twice.
Pant allowed three hits and two walks in her five innings in the pitcher’s circle. She had six strikeouts.
Pant has only allowed one run in her last 12 innings pitched.
Warren Central will go on the road again this weekend to play in the South Panola tournament in Batesville. It will face St. Benedict, Tennessee, Friday at 5 p.m.; and on Saturday it will play South Panola at 10 a.m. and Senatobia at 11:30.
The Lady Vikes’ junior varsity team will also play two games, Friday against South Panola and Saturday vs. North Point.