Gardendale 10, Minor 0

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7		R
Minor	0	0	0	0	0				0
GHS	3	6	0	0	1				10

Third-ranked Gardendale opened Class 6A North-Central Regional play with a 10-0 win over Minor in five innings on Thursday. 

The Rockets (40-14-1) ran three runs across in the bottom of the first inning, and that would be all sophomore pitcher Kaitlyn Clark needed. Clark got the start and tossed three inning of scoreless work for the Area 12 champions. Holding a 9-0 lead, she handed the ball over to fellow sophomore Madison Bulloch in the fourth frame. Bulloch closed out the mercy-rule win. 

Gardendale 9, McAdory 1

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7		R
GHS	0	3	0	5	0	0	1		9
McA	0	0	0	0	0	1	0		1

Again, Kaitlyn Clark got the start and again, she set her relief up with a cushy lead.

This time Clark went five innings, allowing no runs in a 9-1 win over McAdory. The right-hander left it with freshman Preslie Ross in the sixth with an eight-run advantage to work with.

Gardendale drew first blood in the second inning when Kendall Stricklin slid under a tag at the plate. Outfielder Jaycee Dill then laced a run-scoring triple into the left-field corner before Kailey Vaughn drove in the third and final run of the inning. The Rockets led 3-0 going to the bottom of the second. 

They scored five more in the fourth, and another in the seventh off an RBI single from Kylee Franklin. McAdory’s one run came in the sixth inning.

Gardendale finished 2-0 on Day 1 of the tournament, and returns to Bowers Park on Friday for a game with Walker (27-7-1). The winner of that game advances to the State Tournament in Montgomery. 

Walker 12, Pinson Valley 3

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7		R
PVHS	0	0	0	0	0	3	0		3
WHS	2	1	1	3	0	5	0		12

It wasn’t the start Pinson Valley was looking for. 

The Indians struggled in several areas as Walker jumped ahead early, and ran off to a 12-3 win in the first game of the Class 6 bracket. 

Walker pushed two runs around in the first, one more apiece in the second and third, and three more in the fourth inning. The Indians scored their first three runs in the sixth frame, but the deficit was already too big. 

Pinson Valley 10, Homewood 6

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7		R
PVHS	2	0	4	0	0	0	4		10
HWD	1	0	0	0	2	0	3		6

In a must-win game, Pinson Valley scored early and late in a 10-6 win over Homewood. 

The Indians scored twice in the top of the first and went on to take a 6-1 lead after four. Homewood fought back, but Pinson Valley’s four-run seventh did the job. 

The Indians face another must-win game Friday morning against McAdory. 

Mortimer Jordan 14, West Point 1

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7		R
WPHS	1	0	0	0	0				1
MJHS	1	5	0	8					14

Mortimer Jordan 5, Lincoln 4

Mortimer Jordan pitcher Madi Maze recorded two wins on Thursday in the Class 5A bracket of the North-Central Regional in Tuscaloosa. The righty first tossed a 14-1 win over West Point, and later grinded out a 5-4 win over No. 6 Linclon. 

Those two wins pair the Blue Devils (29-17-3) with second-ranked Springville on Friday at 10:30 a.m. They are 3-1 against the Tigers this season. The winner of that fifth meeting automatically qualifies for the State Tournament.

The decisive swing in Mortimer Jordan’s nightcap against Lincoln came from junior Savannah Chaviers, who dribbled a walk-off single toward second base, scoring the run from third and putting Mortimer Jordan one win away from the State Tournament. 

Springville 17, Hayden 9

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7		R
S’ville	3	4	0	6	0	2	1		17
Hayden	0	2	0	0	4	0	3		9

Like Pinson Valley, Hayden started slow but finished strong on Thursday in Tuscaloosa. 

The No. 8 Wildcats fell 17-9 in the Class 5A opener against No. 2 Springville, but bounced back for a 13-1 win over Pleasant Grove in the losers’ bracket. 

Shortstop Savannah Woodard gave her team a 1-0 lead over the Gophers in the third. That RBI led to more offense, as Gracie Benton then sent two more home off a triple into left field. Hayden added six runs in the fourth and four more in the fifth. 

Hayden 13, Pleasant Grove 1

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7		R
Hayden	0	0	3	6	4				13
PGHS	0	0	0	1	0				1

Erik Harris is the Sports Editor of The North Jefferson News. Email him at njnsports@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jeharris2.