North Hall scratches out win over Warriors

CLEVELAND - Let the countdown begin for the battle of Region 7-AAA softball supremacy.

North Hall shutout White County 1-0 Tuesday to set up a showdown of unbeaten powerhouses Thursday with Pickens County.

Both teams are ranked in the top five in Class AAA.

The Lady Trojans (20-4, 8-0) played small ball against White County getting a one-out triple from Lindsey Kitchens who would then score on a groundout by Emily Romine in the first inning.

Cheryl Case then made it stand up tossing a complete-game two-hitter.

"We got what we needed and then somehow we held on," North Hall coach Roger Fannon said. "It was a tight game and could've gone either way. We were fortunate to come out with a win."

Kitchens finished with two hits as did Kristi Underwood. Haley Bower extended her hit streak to 12-games with a single.

Fannon said they are finally able to concentrate on Pickens.

"We've all seen the schedule and knew (Chestatee) and Pickens were going to be the big games. I think we've done a good job of staying focused and not slipping up along the way," Fannon said. "Now, it's basically down to a one-game playoff for the top spot. It should be fun."

The Lady Trojans got into this position by whipping Chestatee, the defending Region 7-AAA champion, 9-0 last week, their first win ever over Chestatee.