Tourney Trail: Who, when and where will Richland County softball teams play in the postseason?
MANSFIELD — They may not be getting respect from the state coaches polls, but the Lexington Lady Lex definitely earned it among their closest rivals.
The undefeated and unranked Lexington Lady Lex was the only Richland County team to earn top-seed honors at Sunday's district tournament draws and rightfully so. Lex is 19-0 and has outscored its opponents 180-37 on the season. It owns a .384 team batting average and a .449 on-base percentage. It is averaging 9.47 runs per game while the pitching staff is allowing 1.62 earned runs per outing.
It's still a shocker they aren't state-ranked, but they head into the postseason under the radar. Let's see who else is flying low with a recap of how Sunday's draws turned out.
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Division II Shelby District
Lex took the top seed in a very tough Division II Shelby District and earned themselves a first-round bye. It will take on the winner of No. 9 Vermilion and No. 10 Tiffin Columbian at 5 p.m. on May 10 at Lexington for a sectional championship. Vermilion and Columbian play at 5 p.m. on May 7 in the sectional semifinal for a chance to play the top seed.
The Clear Fork Colts were tabbed as the No. 2 seed and also earned a first-round bye. The Colts will play the winner of No. 7 Perkins and No. 8 Bellevue at 5 p.m. on May 10 at Clear Fork for a sectional championship. Perkins and Bellevue play at 5 p.m. on May 7 for a chance to travel to Bellville for a sectional championship game.
The Shelby Whippets were voted as the No. 3 seed and took a first-round bye along with No. 4 Norwalk which jumped at the opportunity to play the Whippets in the sectional championship. That game will be at 5 p.m. on May 10 at Shelby with the winner advancing to the district semifinals where it will play the Clear Fork/Perkins/Bellevue winner.
The Ontario Warriors took the No. 6 seed and elected for a first-round bye spot where they will travel to No. 5 Clyde for a sectional championship. That game will be at 5 p.m. on May 9 and the winner advances to the district semifinals against the Lexington/Vermilion/Columbian winner.
The district semifinals will be at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. on May 14 with the championship game at 5 p.m. on May 17. All district games will be at Willard. The winner advances to the regional tournament at Shelby.
Division I Bowling Green District
The Madison Rams were tabbed the No. 6 seed in a loaded Division I Bowling Green District softball tournament. They elected for a first-round by spot and will host No. 9 Oregon Clay at 5 p.m. on May 8 for a sectional championship. With a win, the Rams would play the Findlay/Wapakoneta/Lima Senior winner at 6 p.m. on May 14 in the district semifinals at Bowling Green. The championship game is set for 5 p.m. on May 17 with the top seed Anthony Wayne running the top of the bracket.
Division III Shelby District
The Crestview Cougars were voted as the No. 2 seed in a very tough Division III Shelby District and earned a first-round bye. They will face the winner of No. 6 Galion and No. 8 Colonel Crawford at 5 p.m. on May 10 at Crestview for a sectional championship. Galion and Crawford square off at 5 p.m. on May 7 in the sectional semifinals.
The Division III district semifinals are at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on May 15 at Shelby High School with the championship game slated for 5 p.m. on May 17. Huron earned the No. 1 seed.
Division IV Galion District
The Lucas Cubs were voted the No. 4 overall seed in the Division IV Galion District and opted for a first-round bye. They will play the winner of No. 6 Seneca East and No. 7 St. Paul at 5 p.m. on May 9 for a sectional championship. Seneca East and St. Paul play at 5 p.m. on May 6 in the semifinals.
The Mansfield Christian Flames earned the No. 5 seed and will travel to No. 8 Buckeye Central at 5 p.m. on May 6 for a sectional semifinal game. The winner advances to the sectional championship at 5 p.m. on May 9 at No. 2 New London.
The defending district champion Plymouth Big Red took the No. 9 seed and will travel to No. 3 South Central at 5 p.m. on May 9 for a sectional championship.
The Division IV district semifinals are at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on May 14 with the title game at 5 p.m. on May 16 with all games being played at Galion.
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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Who, when and where will Richland County softball teams play in the postseason?
