After an 8-5 loss to Fairmont on May 5, the Jackson County Central softball team had a record of 3-8.
Since then, the Huskies have been one of the hottest teams around and carry a nine-game winning streak that includes a 1-0 win in 10 innings over that same Fairmont team to enter the Section 3AA tournament with a 12-8 record.
JCC is seeded third in the South Sub-Section and will play sixth-seeded Minneota/Canby (8-8) in the single-elimination first round at about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday in Luverne.
Ironically, with a win over the Vikings, the Huskies could run into a team that would be on a longer winning streak.
Second-seeded Luverne (13-6) has won 10 straight entering its 2 p.m. single-elimination contest vs. seventh-seeded Redwood Valley (4-14).
So the first game of the double-elimination portion of the tourney could match two teams on double-digit win streaks. But both teams must take care of business in the first round to get there.
JCC faces an unfamiliar opponent in Minneota/Canby. The teams have not met since the Huskies won an elimination game 11-5 in the 2019 section tourney and have no common opponents this season.
Jackson County Central is outscoring its opponents 6.8-5.7 per game this season. Minneota/Canby is being outscored 8.7-7.6.
Top-seeded Pipestone will be the other host site in the South Sub-Section.
Number one seed Morris/Chokio-Alberta and number two West Central Area will host games in the North Sub-Section.
The remainder of the tournament then shifts to Marshall starting Saturday.
SECTION 3AA SOFTBALL
Tuesday, May 23
South Sub-Section
At Luverne
Luverne (13-6) vs. Redwood Valley (4-14), 2 p.m.
Jackson County Central (12-8) vs. Minneota/Canby (8-8), 3:30 p.m.
Luverne-Redwood winner vs. JCC-MC winner, 5 p.m.
At Pipestone
Windom (7-13) vs. Renville County West/BOLD (13-4), 4 p.m.
Pipestone (16-5) vs. Windom-RCWB winner, 5:30 p.m.
North Sub-Section
At Morris
Morris/Chokio-Alberta (15-2) vs. Montevideo (2-14), 3 p.m.
Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City (11-5) vs. Litchfield (4-14), 4:30 p.m.
MCA-Montevideo winner vs. ACGC-Litchfield winner, 6 p.m.
At Barrett
West Central Area (12-5) vs. Minnewaska Area (2-13), 3 p.m.
Dassel-Cokato (7-10) vs. New London-Spicer (5-13), 4:30 p.m.
WCA-Minnewaska winner vs. DC-NLS winner, 6 p.m.