Softball team goes young at Capital City Classic - Lady Rockets go 3-2 in tourney

Due to the SCHS prom Saturday, the Lady Rocket softball team was forced to call up seven players from the freshman team for most of the Capital City Classic in Frankfort.

However, that didn't dampen the team's results.

The girls went 3-2 over the weekend, playing just one game with their full varsity roster.

"We only have 11 players on our varsity/JV roster combined since we have two out with injuries," SCHS head coach Kelly Cable said. "So we had to pull up some middle school girls off of the freshman team. But I was very pleased with the way the freshman girls played. They were a little nervous in the first game, but once they settled down they hit the ball well against some good varsity pitching."

The Lady Rockets' two losses came against teams ranked in the state's top 15, No. 14 Butler and No. 4 Scott County.

The Lady Rockets opened tournament play on Friday against Woodford County with an 8-4 win. Jessica Williams had two hits and two RBIs and Shauna Gramig added two hits, two runs scored and an RBI to help lead the team.

Friday's win was the team's only game with the full roster.

The Lady Rockets then went 2-2 on Saturday. The first game was an 8-3 win over Boone County where the Lady Rockets had 10 hits. Courtney Tinsley and Kayla Carey both had two hits and Sara Chambers had a two run-double.

The girls then fell 6-0 to Butler. Taylor Shaw had two of the team's three hits.

The Lady Rockets bounced back after that tough loss with a 6-2 thrashing of Lone Oak. Shelby County racked up 13 hits in the win. Shaw stayed hot with three hits and Hannah Abbott and Colleen Hughes also added three hits.

However, the team's tournament run then ended with a 7-1 loss to Scott County. Tinsley's RBI fielder's choice that scored Shaw after a leadoff triple accounted for the team's only run.

While much of her varsity team was out, Cable said she saw a glimpse of what was to come with her younger starters and freshman players.

"As a whole, I thought our freshman girls played very well and our sophomores stepped up and showed good leadership," she said. "I think all of them gained some confidence and it gave me an opportunity to see what's coming up. I got to look at their ability and what they need to work on to play at the varsity level."