Northside softball captures region tournament championship

Though their latest task proved far from easy, the Northside Lady Patriots softball team got one step closer to their ultimate goal Friday.

Northside finished off the Region 1-4A softball tournament with an unblemished record, beating Columbus 7-2. The Lady Patriots and Lady Blue Devils were in a low-scoring game until the fifth, when a sacrifice fly coupled with Jada Chadwick’s 2-RBI single put the game away.

“It means everything to the girls,” Northside head coach Brandon Jenkins said. “That’s our third region championship in a row, and we were also able to beat our rival. More importantly, we will host throughout the playoffs if we keep winning, which is a huge advantage.”

The Lady Patriots hadn’t lost a region game in two seasons, but the Lady Blue Devils provided a true threat in the early goings. Hannah George and Chadwick changed that in the third inning, as George hit an RBI groundout and Chadwick notched an RBI single to make it 2-0.

Northside led 3-0 entering the fifth, when Columbus put up its best fight of the night. A wild pitch and Abby Wynn’s RBI single plated two runs for the Lady Blue Devils, cutting Northside’s advantage to 3-2.

From there, it was all Northside. The Lady Patriots brought home the three runs in the fifth and one more in the seventh to seal the victory.

As a result, Northside is Region 1-4A’s No. 1 seed and will host Mary Persons at 5 p.m. Wednesday. Columbus is the No. 2 seed and hosts Perry at 4:30 p.m Wednesday, Cairo is the No. 3 seed and travels to Spalding and Hardaway is the No. 4 seed and heads to West Laurens.

The victory was a worthwhile one for Northside, but Jenkins was clear the team has a lot left to accomplish. The Lady Patriots have been on the cusp of a state title the last two years and played for the championship in 2016.

“We have some unfinished business in the state to take care of,” Jenkins said. “It’s been a long 11 months. We can’t wait to get after it.”

This story was originally published October 7, 2017 at 5:35 PM with the headline "Northside softball captures region tournament championship."