Hoff’s RBI double lifts Jamestown softball past Legacy in eighth inning

Maddie Hoff gave Jamestown softball its sharpest moment of the day at Trapper Lawrence Field, then Legacy turned the second game of the doubleheader into a 24-0 rout that laid bare how quickly the Blue Jays can swing from control to collapse.

Hoff doubled in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift Jamestown past Legacy 2-1 in the opener Tuesday. She also worked all eight innings in the circle and struck out 17, matching Legacy starter Rawling Borseth, who also finished with 17 strikeouts in a game that felt more like a postseason duel than a late-season doubleheader.

The winning rally started when Avery Graves reached with a single, her third hit of the game. Hoff then sent a fly ball into the wind, and it carried far enough to let the winning run score from first, a hard-earned finish to a game where every pitch mattered. For Jamestown, the opener showed its best trait all season, the ability to survive tight games against top competition when its ace is locked in and one timely swing breaks the deadlock.

The nightcap told the opposite story. Legacy exploded for 24 runs and used the sweep-clinching rebound to secure a top-four seed in the upcoming West Region tournament, while Jamestown was left with the kind of result that can test a roster’s depth, focus and confidence in a hurry.

That contrast mattered because the doubleheader came with real playoff weight. WDA standings on May 12 showed Jamestown at 10-8 in conference play and 16-10 overall, while Legacy stood at 12-4 and 14-6. Williston led the league at 16-2 and Dickinson was right behind at 14-2, underscoring how crowded the middle of the standings had become. The WDA said seeds 1-6 advance directly to the quarterfinals, while seeds 7-10 are pushed into play-in games.

Legacy was already locked into the No. 4 seed, with Mandan at No. 5, Minot North at No. 6, Century at No. 7 and Minot High at No. 8. Jamestown still had work left in the final stretch, after entering Tuesday needing one win to assure at least the sixth seed and following a 17-3 road victory at Watford City on May 11, when Hoff had three hits and four RBI.

The Blue Jays were scheduled to finish the regular season at West Fargo, and the split with Legacy left the same question hanging over their final games: whether Jamestown’s edge in the circle and late in close games is strong enough to carry a team that can look unbeatable one hour and overwhelmed the next.