A look at the Evansville-area IHSAA softball sectional pairings
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — An annual reminder but one which bears repeating: The blind draw plays no favorites.
Some of the best local high school softball teams learned this lesson again on Sunday. The Indiana High School Athletic Association released its sectional pairings for the upcoming state tournament later this month.
Which group has the most reason to complain? Class 4A.
In the sectional at North, the carnage came in the bottom half of the draw. No. 9 Castle (17-6) faces North (10-3) in the opening round with Jasper (10-6) awaiting in the semifinal. Those are arguably the top three teams in the sectional. Only one will play for a championship.
The Knights are the current favorite behind a dynamic offense, despite their top player Jackie Lis sidelined with an injury. Castle also has wins over both North and Jasper.
A path to the title game isn't guaranteed. The Huskies have a deep lineup and solid pitching. The Wildcats feature senior infielder Megan Matheis (10 home runs) and only lost 10-9 to the Knights on April 1.
The other first-round game should be competitive between Central (7-8) and Reitz (4-8). The Bears beat the Panthers on a walk-off home run in 10 innings on April 14. The winner gets Harrison in the semifinal.
In 3A at Gibson Southern, the host team is more of a clear favorite. Seniors Brenna Blume and Olivia Money help out tremendously in the Titans (15-4) offense and junior Alexis Tucker is consistent in the circle and leads the bullpen with nine wins so far this year.
Gibson's top challenger, Pike Central (9-3), would await in a potential championship game.
In 3A at Heritage Hills, the Patriots (11-4) are a slight favorite in what could be a competitive field. Heritage Hills received a bye against Mount Vernon or Bosse. The opening-round game to watch would be Boonville-Memorial. Both teams have struggled as of late but feature several talented players.
In 2A at Forest Park, there is a good chance of No. 7 Mater Dei (7-4) playing North Posey (11-1) in the semifinal. It would be one of the best games in the area with both featuring dominant pitchers in Sophie Klemain (Mater Dei) and Erin Hoehn (North Posey). The Vikings’ strong pitching propelled them to the 2-0 win over Mater Dei on Thursday.
In 1A at Northeast Dubois, No. 1 Tecumseh (12-4) was blessed with a path away from its top challenger, the host Jeeps, until a potential championship matchup.
IHSAA SOFTBALL
Class 4A Sectional 16 at North
Game 1: Reitz vs. Central
Game 2: North vs. Castle
Game 3: Harrison vs. Winner of Game 1
Game 4: Jasper vs. Winner of Game 2
Game 5: Championship
Class 3A Sectional 31 at Gibson Southern
Game 1: Vincennes Lincoln vs. Princeton
Game 2: Washington vs. Pike Central
Game 3: Gibson Southern vs. Winner of Game 1
Game 4: Championship
Class 3A Sectional 32 at Heritage Hills
Game 1: Bosse vs. Mount Vernon
Game 2: Boonville vs. Memorial
Game 3: Heritage Hills vs. Winner of Game 1
Game 4: Championship
Class 2A Sectional 47 at South Knox
Game 1: North Knox vs. Southridge
Game 2: Eastern Greene vs. South Knox
Game 3: Linton-Stockton vs. Winner of Game 1
Game 4: Sullivan vs. Winner of Game 2
Game 5: Championship
Class 2A Sectional 48 at Forest Park
Game 1: Tell City vs. Mater Dei
Game 2: Perry Central vs. South Spencer
Game 3: North Posey vs. Winner of Game 1
Game 4: Forest Park vs. Winner of Game 2
Game 5: Championship
Class A Sectional 63 at North Daviess
Game 1: North Davies vs. Loogootee
Game 2: Shoals vs. Barr-Reeve
Game 3: Championship
Class A Sectional 64 at Northeast Dubois
Game 1: Cannelton vs. Springs Valley
Game 2: Tecumseh vs. Wood Memorial
Game 3: Northeast Dubois vs. Winner of Game 1
Game 4: Championship
Follow Courier & Press sports reporter Kyle Sokeland on Twitter @kylesokeland.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: IHSAA softball high school sectional pairings for Evansville Indiana
