Corner pitcher Sydney Watson makes her delivery in Tuscaloosa on Thursday. 

The North-Central Regional Softball Tournament is underway at Tuscaloosa’s Sokol Park.

Four area teams have played their opening round games with Gardendale, Pinson Valley and Hayden earning winners bracket berths. Class 5A Corner must travel through the losers bracket after falling to second-ranked Springville this morning, 6-0. 

The Yellow Jackets got a strong effort from right-hander Sydney Watson, who held the Tigers scoreless in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings. However, Springville poured four runs on in the seventh frame to put the contest out of reach at 6-0.

Corner found opportunities, but couldn’t come through with the timely hitting it needed. The Area 10 champions left the bases loaded in the second, third and fifth innings.

The Jackets now face a must-win game against Parker.

Also in Class 5A action, No. 3 Hayden took a 10-0 win over Pleasant Grove in six innings.

Senior Sharley Miller tossed the first five innings for the Wildcats before handing it over to junior Chloe Kirkland. The two combined for a shutout victory over the Spartans.

The contest went scoreless through two frames, but Meleah Hargett and Evin Bibb changed that with a one-two punch. Hargett walked and later scored on a passed ball moments before Bibb slapped an inside the park home run to right field to put the Wildcats up 2-0 in the third.

Hayden added five more runs in the fourth thanks to RBIs from Brooke Meadows, Hargett, Savannah Woodard and Bibb. The game was never in question after that.

The Wildcats now face No. 5 Alexandria in the winners bracket.

Class 6A No. 9 Gardendale lassoed an impressive, 1-0, win over third-ranked Oxford to enter the winners bracket. The Rockets will now face Clay-Chalkville who beat Briarwood Christian in the opener.

Much like Hayden, Gardendale went with a two-headed monster in the circle. Senior Bryndi-Alyn Ward got the start and went for three shutout innings. Freshman Kaitlyn Clark kept a strong Oxford lineup off the scoreboard for the remaining four frames.

The first and only offense of the day came in the top-half of the sixth, when Chaney Phillips got things started with a double to the left side. She later scored off a Savannah Pennington sacrifice fly to left field to pull ahead for good, 1-0.

Pinson Valley worked its way into the Class 6A winners bracket in slightly different fashion. The Indians made quick work of Homewood with a 13-3 win in five innings.

Pitcher Lauren Kiplinger kept the Patriots quiet on the offensive end as she worked with an early 2-0 lead.

She got more cushion in the third when her offense sent three more runs across, starting with some alert base running from Gracie Graves. Pinson Valley ended the game with a six-run burst in the fifth to welcome a collision with No. 2 Chelsea in the winners bracket later today.

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