Friday sports page: Perkins walkoff for Northpoint, Hernando evens softball series

Photo: Hernando pitcher Haylee Jackson stymied Lewisburg batters during Friday’s 7-1 MHSAA 7A playoffs victory. (Bob Bakken/desotocountynews.com)

Hernando’s Bella Adams drove in four runs while pitcher Haylee Jackson and the Lady Tiger defense stymied Lewisburg hitters in Friday’s 7-1 MHSAA 7A softball playoff series game two. Hernando’s victory evens the best-of-three series at 1-1 and sets up a deciding game three Saturday night at Hernando Middle School. Game time is 6 p.m.

Adams was “money” when it counted for coach Nicki Whitten’s Lady Tigers. With Hernando ahead 1-0 in the top of the third inning, Adams belted a line drive base hit to score Jayla Sites and Olivia Higginbotham. The two-out single gave the Lady Tigers a 3-0 lead.

Two more runs came off the bat of Adams during a three-run fifth inning when her sacrifice fly again scored Sites and Higginbotham for a 5-1 lead. Macie Dever Boaz followed with a double to right that scored Kaitlyn Gentry for 6-1 Hernando lead, a lead that seemed to break the backs of the Lady Patriots. One more run was scored in the seventh as a bit of insurance.

While Adams and the Hernando offense seemed explosive when needed with an eight-hit attack, Jackson and the defense proved to be very stingy. Jackson kept Lewisburg batters off-balance by giving up only four singles, and Hernando’s fielders played errorless ball.

“She has stayed the course, grown so much from just last year,” said Whitten of Jackson. ” She’s shown up every time this year, so I couldn’t be more proud of her.”

Friday, May 2

Prep baseball

TSSAA Division II-A West Region tournament 

• Northpoint Christian 11, University School of Jackson 8
  • Northpoint: Vail Perkins-3 run walkoff homer in the bottom of the seventh, part of a 6-run seventh inning to win the game. Perkins-6 RBIs, 4 hits. Northpoint plays at 1 p.m. Saturday at Gagliano Field, Memphis.

Prep softball

MHSAA 7A second round (best of three-game two)

• Hernando 7, Lewisburg 1 (Series tied 1-1)