The Corner softball team looks on during Monday night’s clash with Gardendale.

Corner head softball coach Jeremy Chappell will miss the eight seniors on his roster.

“It’s hard because this is a tough group to replace,” said Chappell following an 8-4 loss to Class 6A No. 10 Gardendale on Monday night.

Despite the senior night festivities, it’s hardly goodbye for a Yellow Jacket ball club currently sitting at 24-16, 6-0 in Class 5A, Area 10 action. Corner will host the area tournament beginning next Tuesday, and Chappell expects his girls to perform.

“We’re capable of our goal and it’s to not only get back to state, but to compete for a title. We’ve just got to tidy up some things and play hard,” said Chappell.

Some of that cleaning up seemed to begin following a damaging first inning on Monday evening. Gardendale took command of the contest thanks to some timely hitting from sophomores Chandler Mims, who finished the evening 4-for-4, and Chaney Phillips.

Mims woke the scoreboard with a two-out RBI to the right side followed by a crucial Yellow Jacket error that Phillips made hurt. She punished a fastball over the right-center field wall to put her team ahead, 4-0, in the first. Phillips would later provide some insurance in the seventh with a run-scoring groundout to end things at 8-4.

For Rockets’ freshman Kaitlyn Clark, that was more than enough cushion to work with. The righty threw the final three frames with confidence, retiring all but one of the nine batters she faced, three via strikeout.

Before Clark’s arrival, Corner mustered some offense of its own. Senior pitcher Sydney Watson answered Gardendale’s four-run first with a two-RBI double down the left field chalk. Watson also tossed a complete game for the Yellow Jackets with two strikeouts and no walks.

Freshman shortstop Brantly Bonds pulled Corner to within three with a two-run dinger to left field, the third home run of the game. The second jumped off the bat of Rockets’ third baseman Baleigh Moffett before parking just beyond the left field fence in the fourth.

For Gardendale, Carlee McCondichie and Brooke Lyles finished 2-for-4 at the plate. Freshman Kendall Stricklin broke into the lineup with a 2-for-3 outing while fellow freshman Savannah Pennington got the start in center field.

Corner’s senior class includes Emilee Tanner, Taylor Parker, Avery Wakefield, Cailin Tucker, Sydney Watson, Kaitlyn Long, Hannah Turner and Madison Purvis.

Erik Harris is the Sports Editor of The North Jefferson News. Email him at njnsports@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jeharris2.