As running jokes go, this could be a pretty good one for South Warren’s softball team.

In the bottom of the first inning Wednesday against District 14 rival Greenwood, Spartans sophomore outfielder Abbey Mills was asked to lay down a bunt to move the runner over after Lauren Martin had reached base on a leadoff double.

Mills flubbed the attempt, fouling off the first pitch. That led South Warren coach Kelly Reynolds to change her mind and instruct Mills to swing away. Mills responded by pouncing on the very next pitch to yank a two-run home run over the left-field fence.

It was the start of an impressive offensive performance for South Warren (15-4 overall, 7-1 District 14), which clinched the outright regular-season district title with a 13-2 win in five innings over the visiting Lady Gators.

Mills finished the day with two home runs and four RBIs among her three hits, more than making up for that less-than-perfect bunt attempt.

“It’s not really a running joke, but it’s starting to get kind of comical on this team,” Reynolds said. “It seems like I give them the bunt and it doesn’t work, so the next time I give them the hit away – it’s happened twice, where a bunt signal was missed and a home run was hit.”

Mills joined teammate Kaitlyn LaSala, who did the same miss-the-bunt-and-hit-a-home-run-instead routine earlier this season.

“I squared around and it kind of tipped my bat, then she gave me the hit away and I was like, ‘I’ve got to make up for it,’ ” Mills said. “She threw a pitch inside, my favorite pitch, and before you knew it I was rounding first base.”

One out after Mills’ first-inning homer, Madison Stumbo also connected for a solo homer off Greenwood starter Allison Bush that staked the Spartans to a 3-0 lead.

The Lady Gators got a run back in the top of the second on Reagan Fletcher’s RBI single, but the Spartans put the game away in the bottom of the inning with a seven-run outburst.

South Warren had eight hits in the frame as six different Spartans collected RBIs, with Martin’s two-run single the biggest blow.

Mills connected for her second home run of the day, a solo shot to left-center field, to boost the Spartans’ lead to 11-1 in the third and Martin added one with a two-run single in the fourth.

The Lady Gators plated one last run in the fifth on Allyson Smith’s RBI groundout, but that was it as South Warren starter Taylor Enlow escaped further damage by stranding the bases loaded to end the game early via the 10-run mercy rule.

Enlow delivered a solid effort in the circle, allowing seven hits and three walks but largely working around those base runners to minimize damage. South Warren’s defense helped, but Enlow did her part by snaring a pair of liners back up the middle.

“We’ve talked about that because at the beginning of the season she was just real relaxed out there after she’d throw the ball and wouldn’t be ready defensively,” Reynolds said. “We’ve really talked to her about stepping up her game and fielding her position.”

The win helped the Spartans avenge last week’s 5-4 loss to the Lady Gators and avoid a potential three-way tiebreaker for the district title between South Warren, Greenwood and Warren East.

“Greenwood, I’ll give it to them, they did awesome last game,” Mills said. “They came out ready to beat us and they did. We knew we had to lock in this win to get No. 1 seed and we did what we could.”

Martin, Mills and LaSala had three hits each to lead the Spartans.

Fletcher finished with three hits to pace Greenwood (12-15, 5-3).

“They’re a good hitting team and they’ve scored lots of runs throughout the season,” Lady Gators coach Rebecca Rousseau said. “We knew that and we just didn’t come with the bats tonight.”

Greenwood is back in action Friday at 6 p.m. against Taylor County in the Best of the West tournament at Buchanon Park. South Warren will play Ballard at 6 p.m. Friday in the same tournament.

Greenwood 010 01 – 2 7 1

South Warren 371 2x – 13 15 0

WP – Enlow. LP – Bush.