Vikings win their third straight district championship

RIDGELAND, Miss.(VDN)—For the third consecutive year, the Warren Central High School baseball team are the district champions. Everything became official on Thursday when the Vikings defeated Ridgeland for the second time this week to remain undefeated in district play.

WC used Beau Bradley, Ryan Steed, and Caden Cole as pitchers to claim the win. The team also finished with a total of 11 hits on the night.

The Titans seemed to be in control of things in the early stages of the game as they had a 2-0 lead by the end of the third inning. The Vikings ended up getting the break that they needed in the fourth when they scored five runs.

Tristan Jamison, Trace Hood, and Blake Caruthers loaded up the bases after all three earned a hit. WC’s Jacob Kealhofer brought in the team’s first run of the night from a walk which was followed by RBIs from Caden Cole and Ryan Steed. Just before the end of the fourth, Hayes Loper and Lester Martin hit RBI-singles to put the score at 5-2.

The Vikings kept their momentum in the fifth inning as Kealhofer singled on a line drive to bring in another run while Maddox Lynch sprinted to score on a wild pitch that put WC up 7-2.

Ridgeland got on the board again in the sixth when Wallace hit a double that brought in one run. Caruthers responded for the Vikings in the seventh when he brought in the team’s eighth run from a single that gave them an 8-3 lead.

Cole put the game away for WC after not allowing a run in the final inning to give his team the rights to another district championship.

Hood, Martin(1 RBI), and Loper(1 RBI) all went 2 for 4 at the plate. Lynch, Jamison, Caruthers(1 RBI), Kealhofer(1 RBI), and Cole(1 RBI) all collected one hit while Steed hit an RBI. Bradley and Cole both struck out one batter.

Since the Vikings have successfully clinched their third straight district title under Head Coach Randy Broome, they will host St. Andrews on Monday before facing Vicksburg High School on Tuesday.