The Latta Vikings claimed the District VIII title with a 10-0 win over Whale Branch on Wednesday and advanced through the first round of lower state playoffs on Friday with a 6-1 win over East Clarendon.

Latta hosted Wednesday’s district championship game and got off to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. The Vikings added three runs in the bottom of the second, five in the third, and one in the fourth for the 10-0 win.

Latta’s Christian Hendrix picked up the win on the mound, pitching three innings for two hits and three outs. Delaney took the loss for Whale Branch, pitching four innings for eight hits, 10 runs, six earned runs, five walks, and two outs.

Josh Bowen led the Vikings at bat, going 2-for-3 with two RBIs, and Jackson Williams hit a double for two RBIs. The Vikings had eight hits in the win and held Whale Branch to just two.

After clinching the district title, the Vikings moved on to the first round of lower state playoffs, where they took down East Clarendon 6-1 on Saturday.

The Vikings took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning and added one in the fifth to lead 3-0. The Wolverines got on the board with one run in the top o f the sixth, but Latta added three in the bottom of the inning and held off East Clarendon in the top of the seventh to seal the win.

John Kever Love got the win on the mound, pitching a complete game and allowing just five hits and one earned run while striking out 12 batters.

Josh Bowen again led the Vikings at bat, going 2-for-4 with two runs scored, and John Kever Love went 2-for-4 with a RBI.

The Vikings improved to 20-2 overall as they advanced to the next round. Latta was scheduled to host Lake View in the winners bracket game on Monday while East Clarendon was set to host Johnsonville in the losers bracket game.

The winner of the Latta/Lake View game will move on to the lower state championship game on Friday. The loser will face the winner of the Johnsonville/East Clarendon game on Wednesday.