A San Diego girls softball team visiting Oklahoma City for a tournament hid for cover Friday evening as tornadoes ripped through the area.
The San Diego Mystic 2K team got in touch with NBC 7 Friday to say they were hiding for cover, sheltered in the bathroom of a hotel.
A total of 15 girls from the team were in Oklahoma City, where they were scheduled to play in a tournament.
The girls were also in town to hand a fundraising check to the family of one of the children who died in the
earlier this month.
The girls said the situation was pretty scary, but they are safe for now.
Assistant coach Mike Gross said the girls were all okay, just shaken up by the tornadoes. He said the team was huddled together, crying and holding each other as the tornadoes passed by their hotel Friday evening.
“The girls were freaked out. Many of them were in teams. They were strong; you have to give them credit. They were holding each other and giving each other support,” Gross told NBC 7.
Shaky cell phone video also showed the San Diego Mystic 2K softball team wearing helmets in their
hotel bathroom as the tornadoes passed.
“It’s scary. The kids, they’re all from San Diego. They’ve obviously been through nothing like this,” said Gross.
Just last week, NBC 7 was with the young girls as they prepared for their Oklahoma City tournament.
Only, when the tornado struck in Moore, they wanted to do more than just play ball.
“We found out a little girl who plays softball, loves the sport we love, was killed. It just broke our heart. Not only that, but the family lost everything,” said Gross in a previous interview.
So, the Mystic 2K team raised money for 9-year-old Oklahoma softball player Sydney Angle, one of the
children killed by the tornado at Plaza Towers Elementary School.
On Friday, the girls from San Diego presented the Angle family with a $2,000 check at Opening Day.
Hours later, that same generous team was experiencing a fearful twister first-hand.
As of Friday night, the team was still waiting to hear whether or not their tournament would go on.
