VIDALIA, La. &045; Brett Hinson is taking to that No. 1 starter role awfully well.

It’s a role that requires someone to be fearless, gutsy and willing to virtually put the team on your back and get ready for battle. This early in the season the Vidalia Vikings had a good challenge against an Oak Grove team that beat them handily twice last year, but it was Hinson’s kind of challenge.

He went the distance and allowed two hits in a 9-0 win over the Tigers Monday.

&uot;They swept us last year,&uot; Hinson said. &uot;It feels good to come back with a win. The defense backed me up real well, and we hit the ball good enough to win. It’s a real good win, especially coming out of that Cathedral tournament. We showed people it’s not a fluke. We’ve got a big tournament coming up this weekend that will put us to the test, too.&uot;

The win was redemption of sorts for the Vikings after dropping both contests to the 1A Tigers, but at this point it’s all about getting better and trying to find consistency. The Vikings may have found more appreciation in the fact that they had one error and Hinson walked only one batter than who they were playing.

Vidalia head coach Johnny Lee Hoffpauir shuffled players at different positions on defense &045; Cameron Ainsworth is now in the outfield after being penciled in prior to the season as the next starting catcher.

But a solid outing on the mound from your No. 1 is always nice as a complement.

&uot;He was throwing 3-to-1 strikes to balls tonight,&uot; Hoffpauir said. &uot;He was able to pitch ahead in the count a lot, especially in the later innings. That’s why he got the complete game. Defensively, we played well after that fiasco against Pineville. We’re changing kids all around to different positions. Good pitching and defense will win you a lot of games.&uot;

Hinson walked just one batter, and that came after he battled five-hole hitter Brent Pardon to eight pitches before he drew ball four. Shelton singled in the fourth for the Tigers’ first hit, went to second on an error and went to third on a wild pitch with one out.

Hinson got the next batter to ground out back to the mound and got Pardon to fly out to leave Shelton stranded.

&uot;We’re not hitting it real well right now,&uot; Oak Grove head coach Brad Nix said. &uot;We seem to be hitting a lot of pop-ups. Since the season started we’ve struggled hitting the ball on the line. We’re trying to and missing or hitting it straight in the air. I’ve got six seniors, and I expect us to hit the ball a little better. But my best player is not playing right now with a broken hand, and maybe that has something to do with it.&uot;

Hinson finished the game with six strikeouts, including the final out of the game for a called third strike. He retired 10 in a row until Pardon singled in the seventh for the second hit of the game, and he went three balls into the count only three times the entire game.

&uot;I felt real strong probably the first three or four innings,&uot; Hinson said. &uot;It just kept coming down. Probably about the fifth inning I felt strong, and I knew I had a good backup behind me. A couple of innings I threw five or six pitches. I’d jam them inside, and they’d pop up.&uot;

The Vikings struggled at times at the plate but took advantage of Shelton’s wildness on the mound in the first inning to get a quick lead with a five-spot in the first. The Vikings had just two hits in that inning, but the biggest one belonged to Will Thomas when he slapped a double to straight center to drive in Reid Simpson, Lance Moore and Graham Roberts for a 5-0 lead.

Shelton walked three in the first &045; all three runners scored &045; and two more in the second. Jordan Brewer walked to lead off the second and scored on a wild pitch.

&uot;My pitcher struggled finding the plate in the first inning, but he got his control after that,&uot; Nix said. &uot;He settled down and pitched real well. He’s just a sophomore. I’m happy to have him for two more years.&uot;

Shelton brought a solid fastball and didn’t allow a hit in the next three innings before he left after five. Simpson tagged him for a solo home run to center in the fifth to lead off the inning, but Shelton left after 10 batters in five innings.

Shaun Shows pitched the sixth for the Tigers, but Brewer deposited one over the left-field fence with Trey Keith on base for the 9-0 lead.

Shows and Shelton combined to fan 11 Vidalia batters and allow just six hits.

&uot;Will Thomas’ three-run, two-out double &045; that was the big hit,&uot; Hoffpauir said.