After finishing second in the 2008 Cherokee County softball tournament at Gaylesville Saturday, Spring Garden began its role as host of the Class 1A, Area 13 tournament yesterday. The Panthers were scheduled to play the winner of the game between Gaylesville and Cedar Bluff, the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds, in the third game of four set for the opening day of the double elimination tournament.
Spring Garden enters the tournament 15-9 without a loss to another Class 1A school.
The Area 13 tournament resumes play today at 2 p.m. with the game between yesterday’s winners. The 2 o’clock winner will rest until elimination bracket games are completed.
Spring Garden opened play in the Cherokee County tournament Friday with a 3-0 win over Sand Rock. The Panthers scored all three runs in the first inning. Bridget Parris led off with a single. Singles by sophomore Breanna Messer and freshman Bree Blevins loaded the bases. Harley Bonds doubled in two runs and Lindsey Lambert added an RBI single.
Seventh-grader Heather Smart was the only Spring Garden player with two hits.
Blevins was the winning pitcher. She recorded 13 strikeouts while giving up seven hits and two walks.
On Saturday, Cherokee County topped Spring Garden 7-0. Eighth-grader Jordan Sides had a double and a single for Spring Garden’s only hits. Blevins took the loss.
In an elimination game, the Panthers downed Sand Rock again. Saturday’s score was 7-2. Sides tossed a seven-inning complete game. She allowed six hits and walked two. Cherokee County took the championship game 10-0. Parris singled for the Panthers’ only hit. “We just couldn’t put anything together,” said Spring Garden coach Ann Welsh.
The Panthers opened last week with a doubleheader split at Ranburne on Monday. Spring Garden captured the first game 5-3. Blevins pitched all eight innings. She allowed nine hits and three earned runs while striking out five and walking two.
Bonds ended with three hits, a pair of singles to go with her RBI double. Ranburne won the nightcap 9-1. On Tuesday of last week Spring Garden hosted Saks. The Wildcats won 3-0 as Saks pitching sensation Cara Law limited the Panthers to three hits.
