The Gardendale High School Girls Varsity Softball team found themselves with a cold start to the Varsity Kick-Off Classic. The first game for the Rockets was an 8am start in temperatures in the 30’s.
The Rocket offense struggled against Hoover in a tough start to the tournament in a 9-0 loss.
The Rockets had little time to shake off the loss and focus on their next opponent, the Jemison Panthers. The game started a little after 11am and the Rockets were ready.
With a renewed drive and focus, the Rockets pounced on the Panthers with the offense coming alive to take the win by a score of 8-0.
Sitting at 1-1 in the tournament, the Rockets would have to get passed the John Carroll Cavalier’s to make it to the semifinals. Feeding off the momentum from the win over Jemison, the Rockets outlasted the Cavalier’s 4-3 to set up a meeting with the Hoover Bucs in the semifinals.
It would not be a repeat of the first match of the day, with a gritty performance from a GHS team that was playing their 4th match of the day. They fell short by the score of 2-1 as Hoover advanced.
Cold temperatures and 4 games back to back in one day is not easy and these Rockets made Gardendale proud with a solid tournament that should add good experience for the rest of the season.
