Staff photo / Brian Yauger LaBrae’s Dylan Simpson delivers a pitch to the plate during the team’s 6-4 victory over rival Champion on Friday.

LEAVITTSBURG — Ugly wins count the same as pretty ones. That’s the sentiment from LaBrae baseball coach Ed Anthony after his team’s 6-4 victory over Champion on Friday.

Some uncharacteristic errors plagued the Vikings throughout, but his team delivered when they needed to in what could be a crucial victory for league implications down the line.

“We’re fortunate to come out with a conference win against a very quality opponent, and we’re 3-0. I mean, we could be having this conversation and if we’re 0-3, it wouldn’t be so good,” Anthony said. “That’s what I told them after the game. ‘It wasn’t one of our better games, but sometimes you have to just win ugly, and that’s what you guys did today.’ You’re going to face that adversity, especially with the schedule we have, many more times and you’ve got to hold together.”

The Vikings struck first with Austin Rowe knocking home Owen Boone in the bottom of the first.

Champion took a 2-1 lead in the top of the third with a two-out rally, but LaBrae responded.

With some well-placed hits, the Vikings added five runs to retake its lead, holding a 6-2 edge after three.

“These kids here, they got a little upset with each other, because that’s the first time all year they’ve been scored on, so I could see that (frustration),” Anthony said. “I think when they have that intensity out there, it showed. Then we bang, bang, bang put up five runs out there. I’d like to have that for seven innings. I mean, it would make my job a lot easier.”

Champion did most of its damage against the Vikings with two outs. Even in the seventh inning, with their backs against the wall, the Flashes still kept their chins up and put themselves in a prime opportunity to wrestle the lead away. They couldn’t make it happen at the end with the bases loaded, but coach Andrew Barker is glad to see that resolve from a young group.

“With two outs and nobody on, to come back and finish the game with the bases loaded, giving themselves a chance, it’s a big deal,” Barker said. “With a young team battling until the very end, it makes a difference toward our goals of playing our best baseball at the end of the year. You always want that big hit to come through, but when you play a team like LaBrae who is going to win a lot of games this year, you can’t make those little mistakes.

“We had a few too many mistakes tonight, but I’m proud of the way the kids battled the whole time. At the end there, we had a freshman get a hit, a sophomore get a hit, these young guys stepping up when we needed them to, so it’s encouraging. You’ll never like to lose, but we got to see growth.”

Champion (1-2) opens up next week with a home-and-home against Brookfield. Monday’s game will be at Champion.

LaBrae continues its early-season gauntlet Monday, with a home matchup against league rival Garfield. The rest of the week is on the road, taking on the G-Men on Tuesday, Kennedy on Wednesday, Lakeview on Thursday and will conclude the week Saturday against Howland.

Anthony is just hoping Mother Nature is kind.

Have an interesting story? Contact Brian Yauger by email at byauger@tribtoday.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @_brianyauger.