Vidalia Vikings win district title for first time in 10 years

Published 12:00 am Friday, April 20, 2018

The Vidalia High School Vikings claimed the LHSAA District 2-2A baseball title for the first time in nearly a decade Thursday night.

With a pair of wins over Beekman Charter at home, Vidalia improved their overall record to 19-10 and district record to 10-1.

“I couldn’t be happier for our seniors for the work they have done,” Vidalia coach Mike Norris said. “They deserve this so much.

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“First time in 10 years, this is a really good thing.”

Vidalia won by just one run in each game of Thursday’s doubleheader, taking the first game, 6-5.

Four pitchers combined to complete the game, with Leo Lozano pitching two innings for the win. Brett Walsworth drove in two runs to lead a Viking offense that tallied six hits.

In Game 2, Vidalia combined for 12 hits as Cam Rodgers went 3-for-5 with three RBIs and Tristan Weatherly added three more runs-batted-in on 2-for-4 hitting for a final score of 13-12.

Dylan LaPrairie pitched the win in 3.1 innings.

The last time Vidalia held a piece of the district title was in 2008.

By winning the first game, the Vikings assured themselves a share of this year’s title, but the second win gave it to them outright.

“Credit goes out to Beekman Charter. They played their guts out,” Norris said. “But, thanks goes to (assistant coach Greg) Naquin and the parents, school and fans. All of Vidalia gets a piece of this district championship.”

The Vikings are ranked No. 9 in the latest LHSAA Class 2A Power Rankings but will wait until Sunday for their final seeding heading into the postseason. They still have one more regular season game to play at 6 p.m. today when they host Mangham.

“Hopefully we peak in the next couple of weeks and play our best baseball of the season,” Norris said. “We can beat anyone in the state if we are playing well.”