Rachel Kazmirski wanted her final time in a Brooke Bruins softball uniform to be memorable.
Safe to say mission accomplished.
Kazmirski struck out 10 batters, walked three, and surrendered only two hits in a 5-inning shutout Thursday afternoon in Buffalo.
She overcame a first-pinch single to start the game and some early minor control problems. Settled in, she gave a dominant performance in leading her team to a 2-0 victory.
The Marietta College signee was named game MVP for her efforts.
For a detailed breakdown of Thursday’s win along with Kazmirski and her fellow OVAC teammates’ exploits, read the upcoming North-South recap at 7 p.m. on Friday night.
As the team was announced, did it make it a little sweeter being able to share it with Haley, having a fellow Bruin join you in Buffalo?
Since we were 10 years old, we’ve been playing against each other, but for the past four years we’ve pushed each other to our limits and helped each other become the best softball players we can be. To be able to wear our Brooke jerseys one last time and share this moment with her is so special. This marks a final goodbye for us.
What were the emotions like during that first practice? Not only to see new faces and old but also finally getting back onto the field?
Unfortunately, I was unable to make it to the practices due to other commitments such as travel ball and work. However, we practice as a team (Wednesday) night from 7-9 p.m., so we’ll be able to see where everyone will be playing and how we look as a whole.
Was there much rust for yourself or any of your teammates? Were the young ladies playing at the next level in more game-ready shape than those choosing not to play in college?
I cannot speak for my teammates about being rusty because I was unable to attend the practices that were two hours away. Personally, I feel like I will not be rusty thanks to the past three weekends of travel ball tournaments. It will be hard to play with girls who have been my opponents for the past four years, but I believe there is a lot of talent on the Region 1 team, and we’ll play collectively.
What’s been the best part about this experience prior to Thursday’s games? Was it what you were hoping it would be so far?
The best part about this experience prior to the games on Thursday is the emotion it has brought. Being asked to play in these games has given me hope of representing Brooke in the green and gold one last time. I get to play with a teammate that I thought I would never step on the field with again. My senior season was taken from me unexpectedly, but I get to say a final goodbye to high school softball because of this opportunity. The gratitude has been the best part so far.
Could your final game in a Brooke uniform have gone any better?
The walks definitely could have done better, but I was just excited to play in my high school uniform one last time. It could have gone a little better, but with my team playing really well behind me, it went great.
