Vikings Dominate Mullins 11-1, Take Region Lead with 6-2 Win Over Gators

The Latta Vikings continued their successful baseball season last week with an 11-1 win over Mullins on Wednesday and a 6-2 win over rival Lake View on Thursday to take take control of Region 8-A with an undefeated 7-0 record.

In Wednesday’s game, the Vikings hosted Mullins, with the Auctioneers taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the second. The Vikings answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning, followed by two more in the third, and then capped the win with seven runs in the fifth for the 11-1 win.

Jeremy Jenkins pitched all five innings for the win, allowing six hits, one run, and one earned run with four outs. David Stroud took the loss for Mullins, pitching 4.33 innings for seven hits, nine runs, two earned runs, three walks, and six outs.

Jenkins led Latta at bat, going 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs; Donell Stanley went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs; and John Kever Love went 2-for-3. The VIkings had nine hits and one error in the win.

Mullins had six hits and six errors.

On Thursday, both Latta and Lake View headed into the game with an unbeaten record in Region 8-A. The Vikings had just one loss against them, while the Wild Gators had remained undefeated throughout the season.

The Wild Gators got on the board in the top of the first with the help of a Viking error, but Latta’s Jackson Williams hit a double in the bottom of the inning to bring in two runners and put the Vikings ahead 2-1. John Kever Love then hit a triple to score Williams for a 3-1 lead. The Vikings scored three more in the bottom of the fifth for a 6-1 lead. In the top of the seventh, Lake View scored on a single from Luc Newell, but Chris Ford flew out to leave runners stranded on first and second as the game ended.

Latta’s Travis Power picked up the win, allowing three hits, one earned run, and one walk while striking out three. Lake View’s Nate Lewis took the loss with six hits, three runs, four walks, and seven outs.

Jackson Williams had two hits and two RBIs to lead the Vikings at bat, John Kever Love had a triple with a RBI, and Jeremy Jenkins, Lenneau Berry, and Avery Berry each had a RBI.

Luc Newell and Hunter Walter each had a RBI to lead Lake View at bat.

The Vikings are now 12-1 overall with an undefeated 7-0 record in Region 8-A. Lake View is now 12-1 overall with a 5-1 region record. The win marks only the second time that Latta has beaten Lake View in region play since 2007.

In the latest Class A baseball coaches poll, Latta was ranked second in the state while Lake View was ranked fifth. St. Josephs still claimed the top spot with Lamar and Fox Creek in third and fourth.

Latta was scheduled to play in the Cheraw tournament this week, while Lake View was scheduled to be at Hannah-Pamplico tonight. Both teams will return to action on the road on Tuesday, April 9. The Vikings will be at Green Sea-Floyds while Lake View will be at Johnsonville.