Lady Eagles outlast Friendship to move on

If Jackson Christian’s softball team will make it to Murfreesboro for Spring Fling and the Division II-A state championship tournament, the Lady Eagles will earn their way there.

The Lady Eagles were set to play their second-round game on Monday at home against Friendship Christian, but severe weather that moved through the area right at the time to start the game pushed the game back to Tuesday at 11 a.m.

But once that game got started, Friendship Christian proved to be a tough opponent for the Lady Eagles.

Jackson Christian came away with the 3-2 win in eight innings.

Maggie Richardson was a key player for the Lady Eagles as she was the player who hit the RBI-double to give the Lady Eagles the walk-off win.

But Richardson was also the pitcher for the game, going all eight innings and giving up three hits with nine strikeouts.

Friendship Christian scored a run in the top of the first off a leadoff home run, but Jackson Christian scored two in the bottom of the inning to take the lead.

Friendship Christian tied the game with its second run in the top of the second inning, and no one could get across home plate safely after that until Richardson’s game-ending hit.

The Lady Eagles have one more obstacle to overcome to get to Murfreesboro, and they have to go past Knoxville to try to achieve that.

Jackson Christian loaded the bus Wednesday morning to play a best-two-out-of-three series at Lakeway Christian Wednesday afternoon for the first game and the rest of the series would be played on Thursday.

Lakeway Christian played in Jackson at the beginning of the season, finishing second in the Sarah Beth Whitehead Memorial Tournament at the West Tennessee Healthcare Sportsplex.

That team is coached by North Side alum Jay Lowery and his sister-in-law and former Trinity Christian and Tennessee pitcher Ellen Renfroe-Reed.

The score of that game along with University School of Jackson's doubleheader with Grace Christian will be available tonight.