GHSA playoffs first round
(best-of-three serieswith DH starts)Class AAAAAADalton (19-10) at Apalachee (15-11), 4Class AAAAMadison County (15-14) at Ridgeland (18-7), 5Oconee County (18-12) at Northwest Whitfield (20-11), 4:30LaFayette (16-14) at Stephens County (20-4), 4Heritage (20-12) at Jefferson (23-4), 4:30Class AAAJackson County (13-13) at Ringgold (16-12), 2Franklin County (14-13) at Calhoun (31-1), 4:30Sonoraville (18-13) at Morgan County (21-9), 5Lakeview-F.O. (17-15) at East Jackson (22-11), 5
As a protege of legendary Tennessee high school softball coach Clifford Kirk, Richie Wood is never without a plan.
The fourth-year Ridgeland High School coach's plan for this season goes well with Wood's signature slogan: Iron sharpens iron. The Lady Panthers, fresh off winning the Region 6-AAAA regular season and tournament titles, are as sharp as they can be headed into today's state-tournament first-round series against Madison County.
"We knew this season could be a special one, so I made the schedule as tough as I could to get them ready," Wood said. "I think it helped the girls, even though you never like to lose. They know we can achieve our goals if they want it badly enough. The talent is there."
Ridgeland's 18-7 record is hardly intimidating, but six of those losses came against Class 7A programs, including region champions North Gwinnett and Mill Creek. The team had just one loss to a Class 4A school, dropping the region opener against Gilmer before winning out in league play.
The region title was the first of the Lady Panthers' goals. The next is to win a pair of playoff series and reach the Elite Eight in Columbus. Wood's first Ridge-land team as well as last year's squad made it to the second round before losing.
"All year we've had a goal to make Columbus," senior pitcher and cleanup hitter Morgan Crawford said. "It's been a long time since Ridgeland made it, and we plan to change that."
Crawford, who shares pitching duties with another senior, Allison Wallin, leads a lineup with a strong power and speed balance. She hit .448 and bashed nine homers, including three in the championship series win over Northwest Whitfield, and drove in a team-leading 29 runs to go with a 10-2 pitching record and 1.65 earned run average.
Senior shortstop and leadoff hitter Haley Sandridge led the team with a .482 average and had 10 doubles, while sisters Kiera and Ciera Foster, Grayson James and Katie Davis also bring the speed to implement Wood's love for baserunning.
"We have a very athletic lineup, and when we can we will always be aggressive," Wood said. "When you get to this time of the season you have to manufacture runs, and we can do that. We have the pitching, the hitters and the defense to get it done this time of year.
"Now we just have to do it, and game one Wednesday is job number one."
Ridgeland is one of 13 northwest Georgia area teams in the postseason. Eleven will start play today with doubleheaders in best-of-three series. Top-seeded Gordon Lee and No. 7 seed Christian Heritage have byes in the Class A public and private school brackets, respectively.
Any "if necessary" games will be played Thursday. The second round begins next Wednesday.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296; follow on Twitter @youngsports22.