Warren Central shortstop Mark Different forces out Oak Grove’s Drew Ezell at second base on Saturday. Different is the team’s best pitcher with a 10-3 record, and is leading the team with a .458 batting average.(Jon Giffin The Vicksburg Post)

[5/10/04]For a few seconds before the writhing pain hit Mark Different, he saw his senior season on the Warren Central baseball team come to an end.

At home after the Vikings disposed of Ocean Springs in the opening round of the Class 5A state playoffs, Different slammed his car door on the thumb of his pitching hand.

After those few seconds, the pain shot up his right arm and down the other side. The thumbnail turned a shade of Olive Green with some blue and purple and yellow mixed in.

The rest of the playoffs were in jeopardy.

“At first, I didn’t think it was that bad,” Different said. “But the next couple days when it started turning colors, swelling up and I couldn’t move it, I thought maybe I had screwed something up.”

The silver lining to Different’s injury he slammed the door on his own thumb came by way of bad weather.

The second-round of the playoffs were bumped back three days because of rain and state testing, allowing Different time to heal.

Different did not throw at all, or swing a bat, for more than a week.

In the second-round opener against Picayune, he took the mound and delivered. Different threw six innings, allowed three earned runs and six hits in the win.

He threw again in Thursday’s finale with Picayune, but only for three innings before being relieved.

He’ll be on the hill again today when the Vikings seek to reach the state championship series for the first time since the 2001 state title team. A win over Oak Grove (26-6) will accomplish that.

“Nobody likes playing in a do-or-die situation,” Different said. “If we lose it, we know there is another game. But we are not going down there to lose. We want to wrap it up on Monday.”

Different has been playing for the Vikings (24-10) since he was a freshman. This year, he leads the team in pitching with 10 wins, and hitting with a .458 average. He also has seven doubles, seven triples and six home runs.

“Mark comes through for us in every clutch situation,” third baseman Zach Balthrop said. “When he goes and has his stuff, it’s going to be a great game for us.”

Warren Central won Game 1 of the best-of-three series on Saturday, 8-6. WC used a six-run third inning, then quality relief pitching to earn the victory.

Earlier in the season, the Vikings traveled to Oak Grove and came away with a victory with Different on the mound.

With a win today, the Vikings would face either Northwest Rankin or Olive Branch on Saturday. Northwest holds a 1-0 lead in the series.

“Our confidence is sky-high right now,” Different said. “We believe that we can play with anyone in the state, and I think we can justifiably think that.”