James Clemens softball senior night ends on high note
The four seniors of the James Clemens softball team on senior night April 23. From left, Aeriell Brooks, Abbey Payne, Renee Bolduc and Sarah Swager. (Contributed/David Swager)
By Nick Sellers | Staff Writer
MADISON – The first full senior class for the James Clemens Jets varsity softball team went out the right way on April 23 against Guntersville, grabbing a 7–3 win over Guntersville in the last regular home game of the season.
After the visiting Wildcats struck first with one run, senior reservist Aeriell Brooks got on base first for the Jets. Fellow senior, center fielder Abbey Payne, got the Jets on the board later in the first inning with an RBI single and later scored a run to put James Clemens up 2–0.
The seniors kept contributing in the second inning, as Sarah Swager, who started at right field, hit a solo home run in the second inning. That was the first of two runs for Swager, who was 2-for-3 on the afternoon.
Senior second baseman Renee Bolduc was 3-for-4 on the afternoon with two runs and a double.
In the top of the seventh inning, head coach A.J. Daugherty called each senior out of the field one-by-one to celebrate each player’s last time on James Clemens’ field. After a tournament in Cullman, the Jets will prepare for the Area tournament on April 30 as a two-seend when they will face Bob Jones.
“As I’ve said before, it’s like we planted the seeds two years ago, and now you’re just starting to see some fruit grow from that,” Daugherty said of the Jets’ finishing near the top of their division.
The Jets tied with Sparkman atop the Area, but Sparkman won the tiebreaker coin toss, earning the right to host.
“Hopefully we can gain some momentum [before April 30] and be on our game next week in the tournament,” Daugherty said.
The Jets earlier in the season posted 15–1 and 7–0 victories over Bob Jones. James Clemens will try to duplicate that effort against the Patriots in the tournament.
“I’m so proud of these girls and what they’ve accomplished,” Daugherty said. These four seniors, I’d take them any day over anybody.”
