With a new six-team division that features stalwarts Madison Central and Clinton, Warren Central must hit well if they want to make the Class 6A slow-pitch playoffs.

The Lady Vikes, who lost to Madison Central 10-0 on Tuesday in their division opener, bounced back by winning all three games in Saturday’s Lucy Young Invitational at Lucy Young Field. WC (6-1) blitzed Vicksburg 9-1, Yazoo City 17-0 and Germantown 17-3 to roll to the title. Vicksburg won runner-up honors by beating Germantown 13-0 and Yazoo City, 12-4. Yazoo City was third with a 7-6 win over Germantown, a school in its first year of competition.

The Lady Vikes got a big day from Alexis Patterson. She had seven hits in the last two wins, including three doubles and a single in the romp over Germantown.

“When we hit, our defense picks up,” Patterson said. “If we hit like we did today, we can be good. That’s the difference with slow-pitch. It’s a more fun game, but it’s only fun when you can hit.”

WC coach Dana McGivney liked her team’s hitting on Saturday. Not only did she get five RBIs off three doubles from Patterson, but Katie Channel and Megan Marbury combined for five more RBIs.

“We hit the ball a lot harder today than we have in earlier games,” McGivney said. “We had solid defense. The more we play together, the better we can get.”

The three runs Germantown got were the most WC gave up all day. They built a 10-0 lead behind Marbury’s two-run triple, Patterson’s two-run single and Krista Cortezie’s two-run double.

Against Vicksburg, Brooke Patterson had a two-run single in the second to key a 9-1 win. Lexi Burleigh had two hits and Channel scored twice. Victoria Lewis scored Vicksburg’s lone run.

Against Yazoo City, Marbury had a home run for one of her three runs scored.

Alexis Patterson went 3-for-4 while Kortezie had two hits and two runs.

Vicksburg blew out Germantown behind three RBIs from Morgan Callender and a two-run triple fron Kortni Newman.

The Missy Gators got their second win over Yazoo City after Faith Thomas drove in four runs off two triples. Lewis had two hits and scored three runs.