[08/02/03] The Louisiana Vipers’ impressive power display was no match for the Vicksburg Heat’s early barrage of singles Friday night at the Governor’s Cup.

Vicksburg peppered Louisiana with nine singles in the first two innings, helping it take a quick 10-1 lead and overcome three home runs by the Vipers in a 13-4 victory in the opening game of the 11-12-year-olds’ age group.

Ryan Ferrington was 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI singles for Vicksburg, Brian Fitzgerald was 2-for-3 with an RBI, and Travis Thornell drove in two runs. Jason Pettway held Louisiana to five hits in four innings and struck out five, and helped his own cause with an RBI single.

Trey Brasher hit a pair of monstrous homers for Louisiana and drove in three runs, and Jordan Dossett added a solo shot.

“We never could come back over that,” Louisiana coach Tam Winston said of the big early deficit. “We had three home runs and scored four runs. We didn’t have any baserunners.”

The problems started early for Louisiana. Vicksburg loaded the bases in the bottom of the first inning and plated one run before Brasher struck out Pettway for the second out.

Brasher then got two strikes on Josh Hill, but Hill came through with an RBI single to put Vicksburg ahead 2-0. An error on a routine grounder allowed two more runs to score, and Thornell’s two-run single capped the inning and gave the Heat a 6-0 lead.

Brasher hit the first pitch of the second inning deep into the trees beyond the Bluff Field at Halls Ferry Park to cut it to 6-1, but Vicksburg answered with five more singles and four more runs in the bottom of the inning to stretch the lead to 10-1.

“That’s the best I’ve seen us hit in a while,” Vicksburg coach William “Boozer” Emerson said. “If we don’t come out hitting, that second pitcher was pretty effective. We gave up home runs, but they were one- and two-run home runs.”

Louisiana reliever Jake Deweese held the Heat in check over the last two innings. He struck out four, walked two, and allowed one hit. Vicksburg scored three runs off him in the bottom of the fourth, but advanced most of the runners on wild pitches and stolen bases.

The Vipers, meanwhile, struggled at the plate. Kole Junkin led off the top of the fourth with a double and Brasher followed with another homer into the trees to cut it to 10-4, but that was as close as they could get. Pettway escaped the inning without further damage and Ferrington pitched a perfect fifth to end the game.

Louisiana Outlaws 18,

Washington County All-Stars 2

Vicksburg’s Jonathan Sweet and Blake Hynum, along with Robert Tassin, each hit two-run home runs for the Outlaws.

Sweet finished 3-for-3 with three RBIs on the game.

Jason Hicks took the win while Tony Taylor got the loss.

The Outlaws continue pool play against the Jackson Mavericks at 2 p.m. today on Bluff Field.

The All-Stars battle the Mississippi Bandits at 2 p.m. on Delta Field.

Jackson Mavericks 2,

Mississippi Bandits 2

Jackson’s Drew Schemmel hit a double in the fourth inning to tie the game at 2, but the Mavericks could not bring in any more with runners in scoring position and one out.

Neither team could bring any offense in the fifth inning.

Greenwood Storm 17,

Leland Wolfpack 0

Greenwood completely overmatched Leland by scoring five runs in the first inning, seven in the second and seven in the third.

Leland had no hits in the game.

Greenwood continues pool play against the Louisiana Vipers today at noon on Delta Field.