Patriots, Starfires get byes

INDIANAPOLIS — The Patriots get a bye to the semifinal.

The defending champion Starfires do too.

In the IHSAA sectional tournament draw held Friday evening, the Jay County High School softball team received a first-round bye.

Jay County (4-4) will open the Class 3A Sectional 24 tournament, which will be held at Hamilton Heights in Arcadia, against the Guerin Catholic Golden Eagles (6-7) in the second semifinal.

The opening round games pit the Delta Eagles (7-4) against the Tipton Blue Devils (8-3). The winner will face either defending sectional champion Hamilton Heights Huskies (4-10) or the 10th-ranked Yorktown Tigers (9-4) in the first semifinal.

South Adams (14-0), which is ranked eighth in Class 2A and defending sectional and regional championships, will open the Sectional 36 tournament against the host Adams Central Jets (8-4) in the second semifinal.

The Churubusco Eagles (7-8) meet the Canterbury Cavaliers (3-3) in an opening round matchup, with the winner facing either the Bluffton Tigers (7-3) or Woodlan Warriors (9-5) in the first semifinal.

Sectional tournaments will be held from May 22 through 27, and specific dates for the tournament games will be announced by the host schools in the coming days.