[03/29/02]The midseason slide that seems to bite Vicksburg High every baseball season is back.

Seventh-ranked Madison Central scored seven unanswered runs late and the Gators (9-14) couldn’t get a hit off Rob Blackledge in the final four innings in an 11-4 loss at Bazinsky Field on Thursday.

The defeat was the seventh in VHS’ last eight games.

“The way the last five or six games have gone, when it rains on the Gators it storms,” VHS coach Jamie Creel said. “Our kids did a good job of fighting, and we’re going to continue to fight.”

Vicksburg’s often-talked about brutal schedule may finally be taking its toll. Creel insists making such a schedule was not a mistake, but added, “Will I do it again? Probably not.”

With nine games left including matchups with No. 1 New Hope, No. 3 Clinton, No. 5 Warren Central and No. 11 Forest Hill Creel is searching for a way to salvage the rest of the season with his team clinging to the slimmest of playoff hopes.

The Gators will need help overtaking Clinton for the final playoff spot. At 5-0 in Division 4-5A, Warren Central has virtually locked up the division title.

On Thursday, the Gators’ bats were silent again. Vicksburg had four hits, but Madison Central (18-3) committed six errors and Blackledge, a standout left-hander, was not as dominating as he has been.

“That’s probably the worst outing he’s had all year as far as control,” MC coach Gregg Perry said. “Normally he comes out and dominates people, but today he didn’t have his stuff.”

Vicksburg, after falling behind 4-0 in the first inning, scored two runs in the bottom of the first on a J.J. Brown RBI triple. Brown scored on the first of Madison’s errors.

Ryan Grey’s RBI single and Corey Hudson’s RBI flyout in the third tied the game, 4-4.

James Jackson, a hard-throwing lefty, struggled through the first before retiring 10 straight Jags heading into the fifth inning.

“He has a lot of talent,” Perry said of Jackson. “He wore us out there for a little while, and I was glad to see him leave the mound.”

Jackson, who threw almost 40 pitches in the first, gave up a three-run, fifth-inning home run to Jon Still as Madison took the lead for good. Mark Muzzi followed the home run with a triple to chase Jackson, who took the loss. Two more Jags scored in the inning for a 9-4 lead.

“James is going to be a good one for us,” Creel said. “He responded well and pitched well after the first.”

Madison added a pair of runs in the seventh off of relief pitcher Bob Berry to close out the scoring.

Madison cranked out 10 hits.

“This is a game where you have to separate your at bats from your defense,” Creel said. “And we haven’t been doing a good job of that.”

The Gators will play a makeup game at Brandon on Saturday at 4 p.m.