It is now on to North State AAA Tournament playoff competition for the Indianola Academy Lady Colonels fastpitch softball team.
One year removed from missing the playoffs with a losing record, the IA squad currently boasts a 16-7 mark which, along with Monday night’s 11-3 road victory over North Delta School of Batesville, helped secure a District 1AAA second place finish.
Ironically, Batesville will once again be this Saturday’s destination for IA Head Coach Patrick Davis’ squad as North Delta School will be hosting the North AAA State Tournament.
The Lady Colonels will open their double elimination play this Saturday at a time to be announced. The successful IA squad’s initial competition will be the No. 3 seed from District 2, a group of schools which includes Canton Academy, Heritage Academy of Columbus, Leake Academy of Carthage, Starkville Academy, and Winston Academy of Louisville.
The finals of this North State Tournament will conclude at North Delta next Monday.
The top four teams emerging from this tournament will ultimately move on to participate in the State AAA Tournament to begin Saturday, September 30 in Magee.
In IA’s recent 11-3 victory over North Delta, the Lady Colonels supported pitcher Katie Ann Page’s five-hit, complete game performance with some solid defense and eight hits to help produce their double digit runs total.
The Lady Colonels used first inning RBI singles from Presley Scott Jackson and Lily Putnam to take an early 3-0 lead. IA then plated what proved to be the winning run the next inning as Anna Berry Stevens, who initially reached on a fielder’s choice, scored on a pair of subsequent Green Wave errors.
Page, who finished the game with six strikeouts, three hit batters, and just one walk, was scored upon by the Green Wave in only the third and fifth frames.
Meanwhile, the Lady Colonels blew a 6-3 game open in the sixth inning as they used three hits and two walks to help send five runs across the plate.
Leading IA’s eight hit attack in this game with a pair of bunt singles was Mattie Beth Williamson while Jackson, Putnam, and Ella Servadio completed the game with two RBI apiece.
