VALDOSTA — Lowndes and Tift County were the top two teams in Region 1-6A’s baseball standings coming into Tuesday’s game, but the Vikings left no doubt why they are on top. Lowndes scores eight runs in both the first and second innings and won a run-rule 16-1 victory before the stadium lights even came on.

The Vikes will hit the road Friday for a doubleheader in Tifton, starting at 4:30 p.m. A sweep would clinch the region championship with two weeks and one series left to go.

Tift scored first, John Davis leading off with a hit. Courtesy runner Brodie Law scored on a single by Mac Brooks.

The game quickly turned around, however, when Matthew Kerrigan doubled to start the bottom half of the frame. A walk to Cason Fletcher put two on, and Coleman Lewis tied the contest with a single.

With one down, Derrick Carter hit a three-run homer and the rout was on. Westin Hancock drove in Garrett Moon, later Kerrigan, up again, hit Lowndes’ second three-run homer in the inning.

Noah Burnham got the run party going in the second by driving in Lewis. Moon made it 10-1. Kerrigan had his third hit in two innings and drove in another two. Lewis delivered a two-run double and Burnham got it to early run-rule territory on a single.

Tift went 1-2-3 in the third.

Official stats on GameChanger show Kerrigan drove in five runs on his three hits. Lewis, Burnham and Carter had two RBIs each.

Brinson Roundtree needed a mere 47 pitches to win on the mound.

Tift’s loss means second-place in 1-6A is now a three-way tie after both Colquitt County and Richmond Hill won Tuesday. The Packers won over Valdosta, 8-1, and Richmond Hill played its typical marathon, winning 16-10 over Camden County after trailing 7-0 in the second.