Columbus North is the defending sectional champion and one of the favorites in this year’s Shelbyville softball sectional, but the Bull Dogs will have to win three games to defend its title.
North drew the host Golden Bears in the second first-round game on the opening night. North won 9-4 at Shelbyville earlier in the season.
"We have to win three to win it, but we did that before," North coach Ron McDonald said. "We’re playing pretty well, and we’ll have everybody back (from quarantine) by then, so that will be cool. We should be in pretty good shape."
Softball sectional action will take place the week of May 24-29. Dates and times for all sectional games will be announced in the next couple of days.
Columbus East will play Bloomington North in the opening game at Shelbyville. The winner will meet the Columbus North-Shelbyville winner in the first semifinal.
"I think that’s as good as we can expect," East coach Rusty Brummett said. "I think Columbus North and Shelbyville are the two teams that are going to slug it out. Playing in the first round, one of them is going to be out. When we play Bloomington North (May 17), we’ll get a good chance to see where we are. We still have a lot of time left in the season, and we’re going to continue to fight, and hopefully, when we get a chance to play Bloomington North, we’ll have a positive outcome."
East Central and Bloomington South drew byes and will meet in the second semifinal.
"I think East Central got the real good part of it," McDonald said. "They ought to be happy with their draw. The Bloomington North-Columbus East game ought to be a pretty good game, and us and Shelbyville ought to be a good game. It’s a tough way to go. Anybody can beat anybody on any given night. We’re going to have to go through the best."
The Shelbyville Sectional winner will visit the Center Grove Sectional winner in the regional on June 1.
Meanwhile, Class A co-No. 7 Hauser drew defending sectional champion and host Rising Sun in the first round of the Rising Sun Sectional. The Jets beat the Shiners 9-2 early in the season.
"From what we’ve seen this year, the will be our toughest competition (in the sectional), and I’m excited to see them right out of the gate," Hauser coach Andy Brunner said. "I know the girls had a positive reaction to it, as well, and it’s time to jump in and get it done."
If the Jets win, they would play Oldenburg Academy in the second semifinal. South Decatur and Jac-Cen-Del will meet in the first semifinal.
Also in Class A, Edinburgh will face Waldron in the opening round of the Waldron Sectional, and the winner will play Morristown in the second semifinal. Greenwood Christian Academy and Indianapolis Lutheran will meet in the first semifinal.
The winner of the Edinburgh Sectional will host the winner of the Rising Sun Sectional in the regional on June 1.
Trinity Lutheran will play host Henryville in the first semifinal of the Class A Henryville Sectional.
Jennings County will host a 4A Sectional and will meet Floyd Central in the opening game. The winner will face Seymour or Jeffersonville in the first semifinal.
In Class 3A, Brown County drew a first-round bye and will play Northview in the second semifinal in the Edgewood Sectional.
Semistate semifinals and finals are scheduled for June 5. The state finals are June 11 and 12 at Center Grove.
