Unafraid of taking chances in their District 12-5A opener, the Bryan Vikings had no interest in hanging around first base Wednesday at the Viking Athletic Complex.

"Before the game, I talked about taking the extra base," Bryan head coach David Powers said. "We wanted to leave the plate thinking double and leave first base thinking about getting to third because it was wet [in the outfield]."

Point taken. The Vikings used the hit-and-run, five stolen bases and aggressive base running thoughout the game to race to a 12-2 victory in five innings over Killeen Shoemaker.

"You can say that all you want, but if they don't listen, you're out of luck," Powers said. "We said let your athleticism work and it will win for you, and it did."

The Vikings scored four times time in the bottom of the fourth to take a 10-run lead and bring the run rule into play.

Aron Longoria, who has played sparingly because of a shoulder injury that will eventually need surgery, stroked a two-run, pinch-hit double on the first pitch he faced in the fourth, and Krey Bratsen followed with a triple to right.

Bratsen was 3 for 3 with a walk and four runs, including Bryan's last run on a sacrifice fly by Matt Byer, the second sac fly of the game for the Vikings' shortstop.

Bryan (10-6-1, 1-0) will play at A&M Consolidated on Friday in the first half of the Crosstown Showdown.

Bratsen's first hit on the clear, sunny Wednesday afternoon sparked a four-run first inning. It was a pop-up in the infield that Shoemaker (4-7, 0-1) misplayed into a hit, letting it drop untouched. By the time the ball was picked up, the Vikings' senior centerfielder was at second base. Bratsen had half of Bryan's six extra-base hits and also stole two bases.

"They lost that one," Powers said. "That was just the high sky. I said, 'That's falling,' and Krey just had a hustle play. There's no substitute for hustle."

Cody Arevalo allowed three hits in his four inning on the mound. He gave way to Aaron Eike, who closed out the game with a one-hit fifth.

"Arevalo has pitched like that all year, working out of jam after jam," Powers said. "We let one slip away that could have been a win in the tournament Saturday. We had College Park down 5-2 and pulled him because we wanted to have his arm fresh today."

The Grey Wolves might have had a chance to extend the game in the fifth inning, but left fielder Jeremy Zdunkewicz, who grounded out in his only plate apperance, made a pair of stellar defensive plays to shut down Shoemaker's offense. Zdunkewicz raced in to take a hit away from Matt Read to start the inning. Then he made a quick pickup of A.J. Gongora's single to left and started a relay to Casey Skalaban at second base to throw out Gongora, who was 3 for 4 but couldn't stretch his last single into what would have been the Grey Wolves' only extra-base hit.

Reed and Gongora led off the game for Shoemaker with singles and Reed scored when a pickoff attempt at first skipped away.

Bryan stole four bases in their four-run first and left the bases loaded. Jacob Sutherland made sure that didn't happen in the fifth, ripping a three-run double to right center to build an 8-2 lead.

Bryan 12, Killeen Shomaker 2

Shoemaker100 10 -- 2 5 1

Bryan413 4x -- 12 12 2

John Gueits and Colton Banks. Cody Arevalo, Aaron Eike (5) and Jacob Huckabay, Cody Junek (5). W -- Arevalo. L -- Gueits.