Warren Central catcher Kristen Ashley applies a tag to Vicksburg’s Shannon Arnold on a close play at the plate Thursday night. Arnold was called out, and WC went on to win 9-2. (Jon GiffinThe Vicksburg Post)

[4/2/04]Lauren Anderson pitched another gem and Warren Central took advantage of 13 Vicksburg errors to win 9-2 on Thursday at Bazinsky Field.

Anderson allowed two runs on two hits, striking out 12. She also added a pair of hits at the plate. Tiffany Fuller was 2-for-4 for WC with the Lady Vikes’ only two RBIs.

The Lady Vikes had eight hits to win their fifth straight game.

“Hard work pays off, and we put together a good game tonight,” WC coach Lucy Young said.

With the win the Lady Vikes (9-7-1, 4-0 Division 6-5A) claim the division title and a home game in the first round of the playoffs.

“It’s not only the Vicksburg game, it was the district championship, and we won it,” Anderson said. “It was a really big game for us.”

If the Missy Gators (6-14, 1-2) had won by five runs, they would have climbed into first place. Instead, they will face Natchez on Tuesday to find out who will travel to the Gulf Coast for the playoffs.

The Lady Vikes jumped ahead with a five-run fourth inning strung along by Vicksburg’s errors.

Anderson got things started with a single before the wildness set in. Ranging from poor throws to bobbled grounders and dropped flies, the Missy Gators committed seven errors in the frame as Warren Central batted around.

“I thought we did well running the bases, being heads up on passed balls and throwing errors,” Young said. “We just played seven innings of good softball.”

WC put the pressure on Vicksburg’s defense by dropping four straight bunts, none of which were fielded properly.

“Some games we use the bunt, some we don’t,” Young said. “Tonight, it just seemed like the right thing to do. We had the right people on base that could run the bases well.”

Vicksburg pitcher Whitney Smith gave up seven runs only one earned in 5 2/3 innings, striking out four.

After allowing a pair of baserunners in the early innings, Anderson locked down.

Once Shannon Arnold was thrown out trying to score on a bunt, Anderson struck out nine of the next 11 batters she faced.

“I was using a little bit of everything and just trying to keep them off-balanced,” Anderson said.

The Lady Vikes scored another run in the fifth inning and three more in the sixth thanks to three VHS errors to take a 9-0 lead.

Anderson then hit Haley Jones, who later scored on a triple to the left field fence by Vivian Smith for the Missy Gators’ only hit out of the infield.

A pair of errors by Warren Central to open the seventh inning resulted in another run for Vicksburg.

St. Al 3, West Lincoln 1

Laura Beth Lyons allowed only two hits and a run with 12 strikeouts as the Lady Flashes defeated division rival West Lincoln.

Lyons also went 3-for-3 at the plate, with a double and two runs scored. Sarah Kerut and Candice Park each had a pair of hits and an RBI for St. Al. The Lady Flashes had seven hits in the game.