Photo: Northpoint’s Ada Woodruff delivers a pitch during Wednesday’s resumption of the TSSAA West Region final game against USJ at Northpoint. (Bob Bakken/desotocountynews.com)
Tuesday night, the TSSAA D2-A West Region softball championship game between Northpoint Christian and University School of Jackson, Tenn. (USJ) at St. George’s in Collierville ended with a suspension of play in a steady rain. So it was apparently appropriate that when the game resumed in the fourth inning with USJ ahead 11-2, it started raining again.
In the end, USJ kept raining runs and continued to tag Northpoint pitchers Ada Woodruff and Trinity Garvin, who gave up nine more runs in a 20-2 victory in five innings. The win assured USJ of a first-round bye in the state playoff and set Northpoint as the number 2 seed from the West Region in the first round this weekend against the number 3 seed from East Tennessee.
Nothing official had been announced as of late Wednesday night, but Northpoint’s game in the state playoffs will have to be scheduled around its graduation weekend, including a Friday Baccalaureate service and Saturday’s graduation ceremony.
Also, while Northpoint is slotted into the bracket as the home team for the playoff contest, the game will be played at a neutral site to be determined in Middle Tennessee, due to the distance between the schools involved.
Northpoint, which Tuesday beat St. George’s 11-1 in five innings and USJ 7-4 before the suspension late Tuesday night, did get strong performances, said coach Grace Ann Ferguson.
“Ada (Woodruff) on the mound just did an outstanding job, not only on the mound but also at the plate,” said Ferguson. “She kept the ball low and did her job. Trinity (Garvin) did great defensively for us, and she’s a great threat at the plate as well. And actually, I’m really proud of Hannah Bostain, who came in, threw two games in the regional tournament, and she hasn’t thrown all year.”
Three players from Northpoint received all-Region honors at the end of the tournament. They were Woodruff, Garvin, and Josie Beth Smith.
Northpoint softball teamAda Woodruff, Trinity Garvin, Josie Beth Smith
HERNANDO 5, MADISON CENTRAL 0 (HERNANDO LEADS BEST OF THREE 1-0)
Traveling to Madison Central Tuesday night, Hernando fashioned a 5-0 victory over the Lady Jaguars that puts the Lady Tigers within one win of a return trip to the MHSAA 7A state championship round at the University of Southern Mississippi softball stadium.
Haylee Jackson continued her dominating pitching performances for Hernando with a four-hit, four strikeout effort in the circle against Madison Central. Olivia Higginbotham supported Jackson with three hits, while scoring two runs and driving in a run. Jayla Sites and Macie Dever Boaz each smashed two-base hits for Hernando. Callie Desmond and Sites had multiple hit efforts.
The Lady Tigers scored single runs in the third and fifth innings, then iced the game with a three-run seventh inning.
Wednesday’s contest will start at 6 p.m. and will have some sentimentality involved because it will be the final game played at the Hernando Middle School diamond. The Lady Tigers have a new field waiting for them with the move to the new Hernando High School campus, starting in the fall.
Wednesday, May 7
Prep softball playoffs
MHSAA 7A North Half finals – best of three
Hernando 5, Madison Central 0 (Hernando leads 1-0)
TSSAA D2-A West Region tournament
Championship at Northpoint Christian School
University School of Jackson, Tenn. 20, Northpoint Christian 2 (5 innings)
Completion of game suspended Tuesday night by rain, wet field
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Northpoint Christian boys’ tennis team finished as West Region runner-up in their tournament.
Congrats to our boys tennis team. They are Regional Runner-up. We are so proud! pic.twitter.com/HLO7OEhUJk
