Last season, Center Hill was the final obstacle for Warren Central to break through to the MHSAA Class 6A baseball finals. This year, it was the first.

Maddox Lynch allowed one run in six innings pitched, and went 3-for-3 with a double and three RBIs to lead Warren Central to an 8-1 victory over Center Hill on Saturday and a two-game sweep of their first-round playoff series.

Jacob Kealhofer and Ryan Steed also had two hits apiece for the Vikings. Kealhofer was 2-for-3 with a double, single, walk, one RBI and two runs scored.

Warren Central (18-9) advanced to face Grenada in a second-round series beginning May 2. It has won 15 of its last 16 games.

Warren Central swept Center Hill (10-18) in the Class 6A semifinals in 2024, then did it again in 2025 with two convincing victories in the first round. The Vikings won 11-1 in Game 1 on Friday.

Center Hill’s Whitman Key hit an RBI double in the bottom of the first inning in Game 2, but Warren Central took the lead for good with three runs in the top of the third. Lester Martin tied it with an RBI single, then with the bases loaded Lynch was hit by a pitch and Trace Hood was walked to bring in two more runs.

In the fifth inning, the Vikings blew it open. Two errors and a walk primed the pump for RBI singles from Lynch, Kealhofer and Caden Cole. Steed drew another bases-loaded walk to make it 8-1.

Lynch was in command on the mound after a shaky first inning. Center Hill started the game with back-to-back doubles, then only had three more hits the rest of the way. Lynch finished with four strikeouts and walked one batter before giving way to Beau Bradley.

Bradley finished with one scoreless inning of relief to send the Vikings to round two.