Although the Vikings 11-3 start has been impressive, Vidalia head coach Johnny Lee Hoffpauir would have traded all 11 victories for a win in the District 3-AA season opener against Crowville on Monday. As it turns out he didn’t have to as his Vikings took an early lead in the district title chase with an 8-2 win over Crowville.

&uot;This game was certainly important,&uot; Hoffpauir said. &uot;We were able to play through the cold and get the job done. We really needed to get the district part of our schedule off on the right foot.&uot;

Things got off to a shaky start for the Vikings when Doyle Little spotted the visiting Bulldogs a 1-0 lead thanks to a solo homer on just the fourth pitch of the game off Vidalia starter Jarrett Hoffpauir.

The Vikings bounced back in the bottom half of the inning to knot the score at 1-1 when Barry Bowden drove home Ryan Boles with a RBI single.

The top of the second saw Crowville retake the lead, and once again it was the long ball that did the damage. This time it was a solo shot to right by Josh Carson that gave the Bulldogs a one-run advantage.

Vidalia’s bats finally came to life in the bottom of third as the Vikings pounded out four hits for three runs and a 4-2 lead.

Singles by Bubba Wyles and Bryan Bennett set the stage for a 2-RBI double by Trey White that put Vidalia in front for the first time 3-2.

White would score later in the inning on a RBI single by Stephen Welch.

&uot;I thought we really got some hits at key moments tonight,&uot; Hoffpauir said. &uot;Crowville also made a few mistakes that helped.&uot;

Vidalia added another score in the bottom of the fifth when White scored on a RBI single by Chris Williams.

The final runs of the game all came in the bottom of the sixth when th Vikings added three insurance runs for an 8-2 lead. Williams once again had the big hit in the inning, this time a 2-RBI double that scored both Boles and Bowden.

Jarrett Hoffpauir picked up the win for Vidalia with six innings of work. He allowed two runs on five hits, to go along with seven strike outs.

Bowden pitched the final inning for the Vikings. He allowed a hard single up the middle to Barry Carter to open the seventh, but he then went on to strike out the next three batters to give Vidalia the 8-2 win.

The Vikings return to action on Friday when they host Cathedral.