Latta starter Jed Hayes tested Lamar’s patience early in Thursday’s first-round Class A playoff game by working at a slower pace and keeping the Silver Foxes off balance.
But once an opportunity presented itself, Lamar made sure the game quickly turned in its favor.
A rough defensive third inning by Latta opened the door for the Silver Foxes, who scored eight runs in three innings en route to run-ruling the Vikings 10-0 in six innings.
Lamar will host Branchville at 5 p.m. Saturday while Latta travels to Allendale-Fairfax today at 6 p.m. for an elimination game.
“It’s always good to get that first win in the playoffs,” Lamar coach J.R. Boyd said. “(Hayes) gave us a little bit of trouble at the beginning and we were a little late with the bats today. But we finally woke up and started hitting the ball better.
“That’s been one of our biggest concerns all season.”
The game also had an all-too-familiar feel for the Vikings.
After Lamar took a 1-0 lead in the first, the Vikings had runners on first and third with no one out in the second inning. But a strikeout and a pickoff at third base spoiled a potential big inning.
In the third, the game took another turn as an error and three wild pitches, all with two outs, led to three unearned runs for the Silver Foxes.
“That’s been the story of our season all year,” Latta coach Stanley Goodwin said. “We’ll play good teams close for a while, but then there’s usually an inning where youth and inexperience lead to a mistake or two and the game gets out of reach.”
Latta pitching scattered eight Lamar hits, but four walks, a hit batsman, an error and seven wild pitches helped the Silver Foxes along the way.
“It’s something they’ll learn from and hopefully keep in mind next game,” Goodwin said. “I think we’ll be better for it and hopefully, we’ll get another shot (at Lamar).”
With pitching always a top priority in the playoffs, Trevor Norris turned in a complete-game effort for Lamar, saving the bullpen.
Norris allowed just four hits and no runs in six innings while striking out seven and walking one.
“Trevor’s pitched well for us down the stretch,” Boyd said. “He’s got a good curveball and he kept it down tonight.
“It’s always nice to be able to give some of your tender pitching arms a little more rest.”
Mason White led Lamar at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two RBI. Reece Poole went 2-for-3 with two RBI and Josh Griggs was 1-for-3 with an RBI.
Tyler Boyd was 1-for-3 with a triple and an RBI.
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