Published: May 08, 2008 10:44 pm            

Softball sectional draws are in

The Indiana High School Athletic Association revealed its 2008 softball sectional pairings, Thursday. Lebanon and Western Boone will open the postseason in the Class 3A Southmont bracket along with four Sagamore Conference teams they will have already faced twice.

Lebanon will see a May 19 first-round matchup against North Montgomery, a team the Lady Tigers fell to on April 29 and May 1. They lost to the Lady Chargers 8-5 in the first meeting, and lost another close game two days later, 11-8.

“I like our chances,” Lebanon head coach Steve Smith said. “In both games, we gave up some big innings because we had some defensive miscues.”

After Lebanon opened conference play 5-0, they dropped four-straight games. The first two losses came against Crawfordsville, who sits atop the Sagamore Conference with only one defeat (non-conference against Zionsville). The next two losses came against North Montgomery before the Lady Tigers got back on track with a 10-4 win over Danville, Tuesday.

The young Lebanon team has certainly improved and matured throughout the year.

“We’re improving, and becoming more consistent offensively,” Smith said. “We just need to shore up on our defense and coverages.”

Western Boone gets a first-round bye in this year’s sectionals, taking on Danville in the second round.

“(The bye) gives the other teams a chance to beat each other up a little bit,” Western Boone head coach Beth Dohogne said.

The Lady Stars have not yet played the Lady Warriors — their regular seasons end with matchups set for May 13 and 15. Dohogne said that it will set up a difficult situation for both teams.

“We do have to play them three times in-a-row, so that’s something that’s a little concerning,” she said. “We’ll have to play them tough like we try to play everybody.”

WeBo (7-9 overall) fought through a lull in the middle of its season, but took wins in the last two games. The Stars beat Rossville on the road 12-0, Monday. They came back the next day to win at Frankfort, 8-7. The win boosted their conference record to 4-6.

Danville is 3-7 in conference play, but they can hit the ball well. The Warriors’ Shelly Winkler is currently batting .462, and Heather Reeves boasts a .400 batting average.

WeBo has its own offensive threats. Sophomore Krystal White is hitting .452 on the year, but it’s her team’s offensive depth that really has Dohogne confident going into the postseason.

Sectional host Southmont has the unenviable task of taking on Class 3A No. 6 Crawfordsville.

“I think Crawfordsville is the team to beat. They have three great pitchers, and they’re deep everywhere,” Dohogne said. “But the beauty of sectionals is, you only have to play a team once.”

Smith agreed that the one-and-done tourney gives each team a great chance of moving on, especially with six teams who have seen one another twice already.

“Whoever happens to be on, playing their game, has a chance,” he said. “It’s going to be competitive and a lot of fun.”



CLASS 4A AT NOBLESVILLE

The Lady Eagles find themselves in one of Indiana’s toughest sectionals. Zionsville does get a first-round bye, but will open against Class 4A No. 3 Hamilton Southeastern.

The first round features three other Hoosier Crossroads Conference teams, as well as Class 4A No. 2 Carmel. The Greyhounds will take on Fishers, while Noblesville will open sectionals against Westfield. Each HCC team enters the tournament battle-tested after play a conference schedule with three ranked programs.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.