Gardendale outfielder Carlee McCondichie on Day 1 of regional play in Tuscaloosa’s Sokol Park. 

Four area teams will be in action on Friday in the North-Central Regional Softball Tournament in Tuscaloosa’s Sokol Park.

Class 6A No. 9 Gardendale is now one win away from reaching the state tournament in Montgomery. The Rockets improved to 40-19-1 with wins over third-ranked Oxford and Clay-Chalkville on Thursday.

After falling behind 1-0 in the first inning, Gardendale went on to beat the Cougars 11-1 in five innings. Freshman Kaitlyn Clark recorded the win as her offense sent two runs across in the second, four in the fourth and five in the fifth.

The Rockets now face No. 2 Chelsea on Friday for a berth in the state tournament.

Also in Class 6A play, Pinson Valley finished Thursday 1-1. The Area 12 champions started the tournament with a 13-3 win over Homewood before falling to No. 2 Chelsea in the winners bracket, 5-0.

Pinson Valley now has a date with third-ranked Oxford in a must-win contest. With a win, the Indians would face the winner of No. 8 Walker/Clay-Chalkville.

Class 5A No. 3 Hayden will battle Corner on Friday morning in an elimination game. Both teams won their respective area championships and finished Day 1 of the regional tournament 1-1.

Corner started the day with a, 6-0, loss at the hands of No. 2 Springville and disposed of Parker, 18-0, in the losers bracket. Hayden notched a double-digit win over Pleasant Grove before falling to No. 5 Alexandria, 9-8, in a game broken up by a weather delay. The Wildcats held a two-run advantage late, but could not hang on against the Area 12 champions.

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