Grace Academy rode the momentum from its upset victory over Soddy-Daisy on Thursday in the tournament opener of the 21st Lady Trojan Classic high school softball tournament to a 3-0 pool record after Friday’s play at the Soddy Lake Kids’ Park.
Sequatchie County joins the Lady Golden Eagles as the only unbeaten area teams after the first day of action. Creek Wood, from Charlotte, Tenn., also went 3-0 and will be among the teams placed in the Gold bracket for today’s single-elimination play. Teams finishing in the top two in their pools make up the Gold bracket, and the others will compete in a Silver bracket.
Single-elimination games get under way this morning at 9 in both brackets. The championship games are slated to start at 5 p.m.
The competition began Thursday with Grace beating tournament host Soddy-Daisy 3-0 at the Lady Trojans’ new field. The 2010 Class A state runner-up had played last year’s Class AAA champion some close games in the recent past, including a 1-0 loss last weekend in Ooltewah’s Lady Owls Choo Choo Classic. Grace coach Tina Walker said scoring twice in the top of the first inning was key.
“We didn’t make many mistakes,” Walker said. “We had one error in the outfield, but it didn’t cost us. When you play teams like Soddy-Daisy or Ooltewah, you can’t make mistakes because they’re going to capitalize on them. It was an exciting win and one we’ll never forget.