VIDALIA, La. &045; There are five members returning from last year’s Vidalia Lady Viking state championship team, and each of them has a job to do now that the playoffs have started.

Get everyone focused.

That’s because a team that’s united, focused, intense and playing at the top of its game can go about as far as it wants to. This year’s Lady Vikings, with almost an entirely new infield, opened the playoffs with a commanding 8-0 win over Springhill behind a sparkling two-hitter from right-hander Christy Corley.

The Lady Vikings will play at Sacred Heart of Ville Platte Friday with a ticket to the state tournament on the line.

&uot;I was very proud of the intensity we showed,&uot; Vidalia head coach Gary Paul Parnham said. &uot;We came out and got after them. We hadn’t showed that the last two games, but they showed me they can step it up to the next level. I don’t know how far we can go, but this team is showing some heart.

&uot;It’s up to my kids who were here last year. It’s up to them to lead them and show them the way.&uot;

The playoff opener for the Lady Vikings had everyone in the dugout plenty fired up, and Corley was able to feed off that and just dominate. Another player stepping into a new role this season, Corley got rolling from the start and ended the game with 10 strikeouts.

The Lady Jacks (17-6-1) didn’t get a hit until one out in the fifth and put just two balls out of the infield.

&uot;The intensity and the game just gets me in a really focused mood,&uot; Corley said. &uot;I could feel my adrenaline pumping and everything. (In the playoffs) you get a game after that, or it’s your last. We’re a team, and team is what’s going to win you games. Everybody is cheering, working hard and giving 120 percent.&uot;

Corley had room to work with after the first inning when the Lady Vikings put up three runs with the help of a Springhill error. It was the first of seven for the Lady Jacks, and the Lady Vikings sure weren’t in a generous mood of letting things pass.

&uot;She’s one of the best we’ve seen as far as what we’ve faced,&uot; Springhill head coach Josh Wilson said. &uot;We had a bad day with the things we did. We had a lot of errors. We had a lot of things going on at the school and didn’t get in what we needed to do, but that’s no excuse. Their girls played hard, and I wish them all the luck in the world.&uot;

Corley retired the first 10 batters she faced before issuing a walk to Brittany Taylor, who during at at-bat fouled off a bunt attempt that caught her in the eye. LaTasha Hill got Springhill’s first hit in the fifth inning, but Jamiee Jordan threw her out trying to steal second.

Corley struck out the side in the sixth before yielding a leadoff single to Brittany Taylor in the seventh. Taylor eventually got to third, but Corley retired the next three batters to end it.

&uot;Christy has gotten better and better each game,&uot; Parnham said. &uot;She’s turned into a great pitcher. A lot of her pitches fool them. She’s got some deception there, too. We froze them a lot on the curveball. We played defense today like we’re supposed to. If we play defense behind Christy, there’s no telling how far this team can go.&uot;

The Lady Vikings got that cushion in the first inning when Lauren Clayton, Kelsey Leake and Corley each came around to score. Things went from bad to worse in the next two innings for the Lady Jacks as they gave up four errors and four runs.

Bridget Waller reached on an error and scored on an Emily Raley groundout in the second. In the third Corley and Ashley Prince each scored on an error, and Jordan scored on a Rachael Roberts groundout for a 7-0 lead.

&uot;We had about 11 errors total,&uot; Wilson said. &uot;We didn’t play the best we could play. Today was a bad day, and it came at the wrong time.&uot;

But it’s the playoffs now, and the Lady Vikings’ six hits weren’t enough to satisfy Parnham.

Said Parnham: &uot;When I say we’ve got to pick up our hitting, we’ve got to hit it harder. We’re not hitting it like we’re capable of. This team can stroke the ball, but at times we look like we can’t hit a softball. I told them they could be the best-hitting team I’ve had.&uot;