Softball State Tourney Pairings Made
Memorial Day will be a busy day for a pair of area prep softball teams who will start sectional play.
Both Warsaw and Triton are scheduled to be in action on May 26 in sectionals as part of the 30th annual state softball tournament, which were drawn this morning at the IHSAA office in Indianapolis.
A total of 375 teams statewide are entered in the postseason this spring. Sectional play begins May 26 in the four-class playoff system.
One-game regionals will be played on June 3 with the winners of the odd-numbered sectionals hosting. The semi states are June 7 with sites at Lafayette Harrison (Class 4-A), Twin Lakes (Class 3-A) and Clinton Prairie (Class 1-A).
The State Finals will be played on June 14 at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis.
The area teams will be in sectional action at Elkhart Central, Fairfield and Triton.
Warsaw drew the bye game in the six-team Class 4-A sectional at Central. The Tigers will play NLC foe Concord in a semifinal game on May 26. Warsaw lost to Concord 11-5 at home back on May 2. The pair are scheduled to play again on May 19 at Concord.
Northridge, ranked No. 5 in Class 4-A, will play Goshen in the first round at Central. The Raiders, who have a large senior group led by standout pitcher Haley Nixon, have advanced to the semistate each of the past two seasons.
The Fairfield Sectional will have plenty of local flavor with Wawasee, Tippecanoe Valley and Whitko.
The Warriors will face Valley in a first-round game on May 27 in Benton. The seven-team field has host Fairfield, the defending champion, playing Whitko in a first-round game on May 27. NorthWood drew the bye at Fairfield and will play the Lakeland-West Noble winner in a semifinal contest on May 28.
Triton will host its own four-team Class 1-A Sectional. The host Trojans, who won the sectional crown a year ago, face Bethany Christian on May 26.
Sectional Pairings
Class 4-A
At Elkhart Central
May 26: 10 a.m.: Elkhart Central vs. Elkhart Memorial
May 26: 12 p.m.: Northridge vs. Goshen
May 26: 2 p.m.: Warsaw vs. Concord
May 28: 6 p.m.: Central-Memorial winner vs. Northridge-Goshen winner
May 30: 6 p.m.: Championship Game
Class 3-A
At Fairfield
May 26: 5 p.m.: Lakeland vs. West Noble
May 27: 5 p.m.: Tippecanoe Valley vs. Wawasee
May 27: 6:45 p.m.: Fairfield vs. Whitko
May 28: 5 p.m.: NorthWood vs. Lakeland-West Noble winner
May 28: 6:45 p.m.: Valley-Wawasee winner vs. Fairfield-Whitko winner
May 29: 5 p.m.: Championship Game
Class 1-A
At Triton
May 26: 1 p.m.: Elkhart Christian vs. Hamilton
May 26: 3 p.m.: Bethany Christian vs. Triton
May 27: 7 p.m.: Championship Game