USJ softball headed to Spring Fling

The group of seniors who graduated from University School of Jackson were in sixth grade the last time the Lady Bruins softball team made it to the state tournament at Spring Fling.

That drought ended officially Thursday when USJ defeated Friendship Christian 7-0 in Game 3 of their Division II-A quarterfinal series.

The teams split the first two games on Wednesday when the Lady Commanders won the first game, 8-7, and USJ evened the series in the night cap, 9-5.

Taylar Shands, who’s one of those graduating seniors that played their final game on campus Thursday, had the big hit of the day on Thursday with a two-run home run in the first inning to give USJ an early 4-0 lead.

“She had two strikes on me, and it was about time for her to throw a change-up to me, and I sat back on it and swung,” said Shands, who will continue her softball career at Itawamba Community College in Mississippi in the fall.

USJ added a run in the second and two more in the third to finish the scoring, while the defense did its job throughout.

“They came out today and did their jobs the way they were supposed to, and they showed they wanted to do it,” said USJ head coach Joel Ayers. “Good players in any sport want to make the hit or shoot the shot, and they showed that today.”

With the win, the Lady Bruins are headed to Spring Fling and will open play in the four-team double-elimination tournament in Murfreesboro on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.

Brandon Shields, brandon@jacksonpost.news