The Streak is over.

Mortimer Jordan lost its first softball game in more than a year, falling 9-6 to Rodriguez High of Fairfield, California on Thursday in the ESPN RISE/Nike Fastest to First Tournament.

The loss was the first for the Blue Devils since last March, when they were defeated by Bob Jones. The winning streak stopped at 59 games, an Alabama High School Athletic Association record.

Jordan came back Friday afternoon with a 12-0 rout of Foothills High of suburban Las Vegas, with Blair Johnson ripping a grand slam midway through the game.

In Thursday’s loss, Jordan (17-1) got into an early hole, as Rodriguez scored six runs off Blue Devils starter Blair Johnson (8-1) in the first inning. Reliever Heather Parker gave up two more runs in the second inning.

Morgan Estell and Danae Hayes each hit two-run homers in the sixth inning as Jordan’s comeback effort fell short.

The Devils now play St. Francis of Honolulu, Hawaii in a game scheduled for 7 p.m. Pacific time (9 p.m. CDT).

The tournament, which features a dozen teams from the ESPN RISE Fab 50 naitonal rankings (including Jordan, ranked 11th), concludes Saturday.

More on this story in Saturday’s edition of The North Jefferson News.

Robert Carter