By By ERIKA PICKLES / NIles Daily Star
NILES - After losing its first game of the season last weekend, the Niles varsity baseball team got back on the right track and picked up a pair of wins Tuesday afternoon at Battle Creek Lakeview.
The Vikings, now 8-1 overall, won the first game 2-1 and the second 13-3.
Battle Creek had the lead most of the first game scoring one run in the bottom of the first. The Vikings didn't bring their first run in until the top of the sixth. They scored the winning run in the top of the eighth to give them the 2-1 win.
Steve Clanton was the winning pitcher in the first game against David Mills. Josh Henry was the top hitter for Niles going 1-2 with a double.
The Vikes picked up the pace a little more in the second game and took a 10 point win.
Niles scored two runs in the top of the first to give it a quick 2-0 lead. Battle Creek added a run in the bottom of the first, but two more Viking runs in the top of the third put Niles up 4-1.
Both teams each scored one run in the fourth and fifth innings, but Niles' seven runs in the top of the sixth gave them the 13-3 lead. The Vikes held Battle Creek in the bottom of the sixth and took the win by 10 run rule.
Lyle Watson was the winning pitcher for Niles against Romeo Dudley. Watson also went 2-4 with a double.
Cory Coquillard went 1-3 with a double, Henry went 2-4 with a double, Rick Storm went 2-4 with a double, Jesse Sallak went 2-3 with a double and a home run and Carl Mulder had a home run for Niles.
The Vikings will travel to Edwardsburg on Thursday for a non-conference set to begin at 4 p.m.