Monday sports page: Trojans baseball, softball fall in West Region action
Photo: Kaden Clayborn of Northpoint dives back into first base under a tag attempt during Monday’s game against St. George’s. (Bob Bakken/desotocountynews.com)
Assured of advancing to the TSSAA Division II-A state playoffs, both Northpoint Christian School baseball and softball teams were hoping to improve their seeding, but both took hits in that endeavor Monday in their respective tournaments.
ST. GEORGE’S BASEBALL 3, NORTHPOINT CHRISTIAN 1
The Gryphons got all the runs they needed in the first two innings and shut down the Trojans offense most of the contest in getting the loser’s bracket victory by a score of 3-1. Northpoint was held to just three hits in the game, with two of them coming from Southern Miss commit KL Farr, who drove in the Trojans’ only run with a third-inning triple that scored Nolan Bone.
St. George’s scored the game’s first run in the first and added two more in the second before Farr’s run-scoring triple. After that, pitching and defense took over, as Jack Harell’s fifth-inning single was the last base hit Northpoint would get off winning pitcher Xander Kollias.
Meanwhile, starting pitcher Ty Waller settled down after a rough first couple of innings but after a couple of walks and a hit batsman in the fifth, relief pitcher Casey Wheeler came in to finish the game on the mound. Wheeler set down seven batters in order and struck out two.
Northpoint coach Stephen Kirkpatrick was expecting a comeback from his team, but Kollias and the Gryphons wouldn’t let that happen.
“The way we’ve been swinging it lately. I really thought that we were gonna come back, but just didn’t have it offensively today,” Kirkpatrick said.
Kirkpatrick noted Waller was pitching on short rest and gave the Trojans a strong start but added Wheeler is settling into a good spot as a pitcher.
“He is really starting to trust his stuff and success has helped him out,” Kirkpatrick said of Wheeler.
With the loss, the Trojans finish the West Region double-elimination tournament as the number three seed. The road to Murfreesboro now begins with a home game late this week. Northpoint will host the contest at a date and time to be determined against the number four team from Middle Tennessee. That winner would play the top seed from East Tennessee on the road for the right to advance to the Spring Fling state tournament at Murfreesboro.
UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF JACKSON (USJ) SOFTBALL 8, NORTHPOINT CHRISTIAN 1
The Lady Trojans were handcuffed by USJ pitcher Emerson Fair, who struck out 13 batters and allowed just two hits in the Lady Bruins winner’s bracket victory. Fair allowed hits to Tiffany Garvin and Hannah Bostain and pretty much stopped any other Northpoint batter to touch the ball for the rest of the contest.
Garvin started the game in the circle and took the loss, allowing eight hits and six runs in 5.1 innings pitched. Garvin walked two and struck out seven. She was followed by Ada Woodruff, who allowed two unearned runs, one walk and fanned one in 1.1 innings pitched.
Northpoint meets St. George’s on the Lady Gryphons’ diamond Tuesday at 4 p.m. in their next game. The loser gets the number three seed for the playoffs. The winner meets USJ in the championship round, starting about 6 p.m. and would need to win that game to force another contest that same evening to determine the West Region champion and the number one seed from the West Region.
Basically, Northpoint is faced with winning three games in one day to win the title.
Monday, May 5
Prep baseball playoffs
TSSAA Division II-A West Region tournament
At Gagliano Field, Memphis
- St. George’s 3, Northpoint Christian 1
- Northpoint earns the number 3 seed from the West Region for the Division II-A state playoffs. KL Farr-2 hits, double, triple, 1 RBI. Ty Waller-4.2 IP, 4 hits, 3 earned runs, 3 walks, 2 strikeouts. Casey Wheeler-2.1 IP, 2 strikeouts.
Prep softball playoffs
TSSAA Division II-A West Region tournament
- University School of Jackson 8, Northpoint Christian 1
- Northpoint Christian: Tiffany Garvin-1 hit, 5.1 IP, 8 hits, 6 earned runs, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts. Hannah Bostain-1 hit.
JUCO baseball
NJCAA Region 23 play-in game
- Meridian 6, Northwest 0
- Rangers finish the season with a record of 32-19.
JUCO softball
NJCAA Region 23 tournament-quarterfinals
- Northwest 7, Northeast 3
AS SEEN ON X/TWITTER:
A home run hit during Saturday’s series-clinching playoff victory over Lewisburg has given Hernando’s Macie Dever Boaz the school single-season record for home runs at eight.
Lewisburg bowler Brayden Holliman has signed a letter of intent to compete next season at Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama.
