louisville — Nanih Waiya High School’s Hunter Luke set the tone early against Cathedral School in Game 1 of the South State Championship series.

Luke blasted a solo home run off Cathedral starter Blake Martin in the bottom of the first inning to jumpstart the Warriors’ offense.

Nanih Waiya scored four runs before the Green Wave managed to get on the board in the sixth inning with a home run by Kyle Bradley. Bradley’s homer gave Cathedral hope late in the game, but Nanih Waiya held on to take Game 1 4-2.

“They took advantage of some of the things we gave them early,” Cathedral head coach Craig Beesley said. “They are a fundamentally sound team, and we really didn’t threaten until Bradley’s home run.”

Nanih Waiya tallied two runs in the bottom of the third inning to take a 3-0 lead over Cathedral. The Warriors added a fourth run in the fifth inning.

Nanih Waiya starter Luke Rosamond held Cathedral’s offense down most of the game. The Green Wave managed six hits, two of which came off the bat of senior Caleb Upton.

Beesley said dropping the series opener puts the Green Wave in a tough position going into today’s game, but he saw signs that his team can rebound.

“We came on strong at the end,” Beesley said. “I’m hoping the momentum we gained at the end will carry over until tomorrow.”

Beesley said he plans on starting Upton in Game 2 today, and he will tell his team to play the same brand of baseball that has carried it to a 16-8 record so far this season.

“We’re just going to take it one inning at a time and try to get an early lead,” Beesley said. “We’re not going to do anything different.”

Game 2 will be at 5 p.m. today at Chester Willis Field.