HobbsDailyReport.com
NORTHWESTERN 3A-4A STANDINGS
(Final regular season)
S. Caldwell (4A) 13-1
Foard 11-3
Freedom 8-6
Hibriten 8-6
St. Stephens 7-7
Watauga (4A) 6-8
Patton 3-10
Hickory 0-14
TOURNAMENT PAIRINGS
(will be finalized on Monday)
No. 8 Hickory at No. 1 S. Caldwell
No. 5 St. Stephens at No. 4 Freedom or Hibriten
No. 7 Patton at No. 2 Foard
Nol 6 Watauga at No. 3 Freedom or Hibrtien
HUDSON — South Caldwell High closed out a championship regular season in Northwestern 3A-4A softball on Saturday by beating visiting Watauga 10-0 in five innings.
The victory left the Spartans 13-1 in conference play, and they finished two games ahead of Fred T Foard and will be the top seed in next week’s conference tournament.
League officials indicated Saturday they’ll set pairings at a conference meeting on Monday.
There will be only one tie in the standings to break, as Freedom — after winning 11-1 at Patton in five innings on Saturday morning — closed at 8-6 to tie Hibriten for third place.
Freedom and Hibriten appear to have the same records against the rest of the league when comparing scores, which means a draw for seeds No. 3 and No. 4 will be need based on North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) rules.
South Caldwell will open the conference tournament at home against No. 8 Hickory, while the eventual No. 3 seed gets a home game against No. 6 Watauga.
Fifth-seeded St. Stephens goes to the eventual No. 4 seed for an opening-round tournament game.
South Caldwell owns the league’s No. 1 state 4A playoff bid and Foard will be the first 3A team from the conference seeded into the state 3A bracket.