Early Friday night, Warren Central couldn’t get anyone on base. Then, once it did, it couldn’t keep them there.

Then came the sixth inning. That was when it all came together and the Vikings got to go home happy.

Pinch runner Colton Norris scored the go-ahead run on a single by Taft Nesmith, and the Vikings went on to plate four in the bottom of the sixth to beat Terry 5-2 in their season opener.

It was a fun, if uneven, first win for Warren Central, which didn’t get a hit until the fourth inning and in the fifth made all three outs on the basepaths.

“It’s a great start. We would have liked to not have that close game, but in the end we came out with a win and we’re looking to get another one tomorrow,” said WC first baseman Zach Cox, who scored two runs and started the sixth-inning rally with a one-out double.

Starting pitcher Layne Tedder allowed two runs and one hit in five sharp innings of work. He walked two and struck out eight, but left with a no-decision.

Tedder also went 2-for-3 at the plate and drove in two runs with a single to cap the big sixth-inning rally.

Reliever Brooks Boolos got the win by finishing up with two scoreless innings.

“I felt great today. I found my zone and just kept rolling with it,” Tedder said.

Terry scored an unearned run in the third inning, then took a 2-1 lead in the fifth when Bukhari Brown sliced an RBI triple into the right field corner.

After WC’s baserunning debacle in the bottom of the fifth — two runners were caught stealing second and another was picked off first — the Vikings got it rolling at last in the bottom of the sixth.

Cox doubled down the left field line, went to third on a passed ball, and scored the tying run on a base hit by Tyler Vroman.

Norris came off the bench to run for Vroman and promptly advanced to second on another passed ball. Nesmith then lofted a soft single into right field.

Norris checked up initially, waiting to see if the ball would be caught, then saw coach Conner Douglas waving him around third. The throw back to the infield was slow and bobbled by the second baseman, and Norris scored without a play at the plate to put the Vikings ahead 3-2.

“That’s why I let the coach make the decision. I just put my head down and run,” Norris said with a laugh when asked if he thought he’d be able to score. “From about three quarters of the way there, he was waving me around.”

The Vikings didn’t stop there. Nesmith was safe at second on a botched fielder’s choice, and both he and Tyler McRight moved up another base on a wild pitch. Both runners then scored on Tedder’s single to left field for a 5-2 lead.

In all, WC had four hits in the sixth inning — as many as it had the rest of the game — and took advantage of four miscues by Terry.

“Hitting is very contagious, and it all sparked from right there,” Cox said of his double. “Vroman did a great job of coming behind me. We made big plays, big pitches, Tedder threw a gem, and all around it was a good game. We’ve just got to strike early.”

Warren Central will return to action today at 2 p.m. at Ridgeland.

Tri-County 9, Porters Chapel 2

Peyton Stewart had two hits and drove in two runs, and Robert Hudson struck out seven batters in three innings on the mound as Tri-County knocked off Porters Chapel Academy (0-2) in a makeup of a game rained out earlier this week.

Taylor Rushing had PCA’s only hit, and Zac Morgan scored a run on a double steal.

PCA pitcher Ryan Collins struck out three batters and allowed five runs in two innings, but only one was earned.

PCA is off until Thursday, when it hosts Adams County Christian.

St. Aloysius 5, Madison-St. Joe 3

Lane Hynum delievered a two-run single in the top of the sixth inning to give St. Aloysius the lead for good, and it went on to beat Catholic School rival Madison-St. Joseph in the season opener on Friday night.

Hynum finished 2-for-3. His hit put the Flashes ahead 4-2 and gave them the upper hand in a tight game in which the teams swapped the lead four times in the last four innings.

Landon Middleton also had an RBI single, and Connor Smith singled, walked, scored two runs and stole two bases.

Derek Dolan allowed two runs over five innings to get the win, and Casey Griffith worked the last two for his first save of the season.

St. Al will play Hartfield Academy today at 2:30 p.m. at Madison-St. Joe.