HS sports update: Spring sports in full swing
Spring sports are fully underway. Here's an update from some of the action from the last week.
BASEBALL
Oak Mountain
The Oak Mountain baseball team knocked off Clay-Chalkville, 12-2, in six innings on Tuesday. Hunter Hall earned the win on the mound, as he went two innings and allowed one run with four strikeouts. Gene Hurst notched three hits. The Eagles trailed 2-1 entering the sixth, before striking for 11 runs in the frame.
Oak Mountain extended its season-opening win streak to 10 games with a pair of victories on Saturday. The Eagles held on to beat James Clemens, 4-3, to start the day. Landon Cato hit a pair of home runs in the game and drove in three runs. The Eagles handled Northview, 14-1, in the second game. Wesley Dennis, Jacob Fitzgerald and Caleb Kennedy each knocked in two runs. Jackson Kimbrell allowed two hits and one run in four innings of work.
Briarwood
The Briarwood baseball team fell to Mountain Brook, 5-2, on Tuesday. Michael Hiers was 3-for-4 on the evening for the Lions. On Friday, the Lions took down Pell City, 7-1.
The Lions picked up another win over Pell City on Saturday, winning 14-8.
Chelsea
The Chelsea baseball team picked up a 7-1 win over Shelby County on Tuesday night. Clay DeWeese picked up three hits and Riley Watkins drove in two runs. Emmitt Hudspeath surrendered just two hits and an unearned run and struck out seven hitters in four innings of work.
Chelsea picked up another win over Shelby County on Wednesday, running away with a 10-0 victory. Sam Towery hurled a two-hit shutout in his five innings, walking one and striking out eight. Connor Griffin drove in three runs and William Root had two hits.
On Saturday, the Hornets used three runs in the sixth inning to knock off Benjamin Russell, 5-2. Will Hayes, DeWeese and Root each drove in a run from the top of the order and Griffin tallied three hits on the day. Brendon Case allowed two runs in five innings on the mound and Cameron Gage pitched two hitless innings to finish it off.
Spain Park
The Spain Park High School baseball team dominated Shelby County on Monday, winning 11-1 in five innings. Jarrod Kennington and Colby Mills each drove in three runs, while Kennington and Adam Wygle had a pair of hits apiece. Sam Dozier hurled four innings, allowing three hits and one unearned run.
The Jags played a pair of games on Saturday and came away with a split. In the first game, Oxford ran away with a 10-1 victory. The Jags found some offense in the second game and beat Arab, 11-4. Matthew Moser led the way with a pair of doubles and two RBIs.
SOFTBALL
Oak Mountain
The Oak Mountain softball team broke open a game against Chelsea on Tuesday with a six-run sixth inning, as the Eagles went on to win 10-5. Lacy Marty went the distance in the circle for the Eagles. Jenna Galloway drove in three runs, while Abi Brown, M’Kiyah Mitchell and Bryson Campbell each had two RBIs.
The Eagles competed in Spain Park’s Jag Classic over the weekend. On Friday, they won both of their pool games. Clara Fuller allowed just one hit in her four innings in the Eagles 7-0 win over Lincoln. Galloway, Cassady Greenwood and Mitchell each drove in two runs in the game. Oak Mountain finished the day with a 5-1 win over Bob Jones. Mitchell and Brown notched two RBIs each, and Marty allowed one run in her four innings.
Oak Mountain put together a tremendous effort on Saturday, advancing all the way to the final of the tournament. The Eagles started the day with a 7-2 win over Clay-Chalkville, with six different players driving in runs. In a 7-0 win over Lincoln, the Eagles again had six players with RBIs, and Marty pitched a two-hit shutout over five innings.
In their third game of the day, the Eagles defeated area rival Spain Park, 5-4. They scored four runs in the first inning and Galloway produced a two-hit effort in the win. Oak Mountain beat Hayden, 3-1, in the semifinals behind another strong performance from Marty and two hits each from Greenwood and Maddie Katona.
The Eagles run came to an end in the final in an 8-4 loss to Sparkman. Galloway had a pair of doubles and Katona racked up two more hits in the contest.
Chelsea
The Chelsea softball team fell to Oak Mountain, 10-5, on Tuesday, doomed by a six-run sixth inning from Oak Mountain. Brooke Burback hit a two-run homer in the first and finished with three RBIs on the night. Chloe Eidson had two hits in the contest.
Over the weekend, the Hornets competed in Spain Park’s Jag Classic. Chelsea fell in both of its pool games, a 6-4 defeat to Oxford and a tight 2-1 loss to Springville. In the Oxford game, Chloe Eidson’s three-run home run gave the Hornets a brief lead. Springville managed a single hit against Abigail Bryars in the second game, but Springville won in walk-off fashion. Lexi Serio’s homer provided the only offense for Chelsea.
The Hornets were eliminated on Saturday in a 3-2 loss to Tuscaloosa County. Natalie Romager and Bryars had back-to-back RBI hits in the fourth inning, but a sixth-inning run was the difference.
Spain Park
The Spain Park High School softball team started the week with a doubleheader on Tuesday night. The Jags knocked off Clay-Chalkville, 13-1, in the opener, as Kate Campbell pitched the complete five innings and allowed just one hit and an unearned run. Campbell and Maddie Majors drove in three runs apiece, as Majors hit a three-run homer in the first. Lindsay Parker drove in a pair of runs on two hits.
The Jags capped off the doubleheader with a 6-4 win over Tuscaloosa County, on the strength of two early homers. Annabelle Widra hit a two-run shot in the first inning and Caroline Wooley belted a grand slam the following inning. Alexis Anderson registered two hits as well.
Taylor Harrington committed to UAB. CJ Hawkins picked up her 800th win.
Spain Park hosted the Jag Classic over the weekend. In pool play, the Jags beat Fort Payne twice, by scores of 6-2 and 4-1. In the first game, Annabelle Widra and Savannah Rogers homered and Parker had a two-run double. Campbell surrendered one earned run in the circle. Anderson and Widra combined for the win in the circle in the second game.
The Jags advanced to the quarterfinals on Saturday, but were unable to defend their Jag Classic title. They began the day with a 2-0 win over Brookwood, as Campbell and Widra combined for the shutout in the circle. They then beat Sumiton Christian, 10-1, behind homers from Majors, Caroline Wooley and Anderson. In a 5-4 loss to Oak Mountain, Majors hit another homer and drove in three runs.
On Tuesday evening, sophomore outfielder Taylor Harrington committed to UAB and coach Amanda Ellis.
Coach CJ Hawkins surpassed 800 career wins during the Sidney Cooper Invitational the weekend of Feb. 24-25.
SOCCER
Briarwood
The Briarwood girls soccer team fell to Hoover, 2-1, on Tuesday night. Alex Broughton notched the lone goal for the Lady Lions. The Briarwood boys dominated Shelby County, 10-0 on Tuesday.
Briarwood’s boys took down Spain Park, 3-2, on Thursday. Logan Frost, Griffin Felton and Jeffrey Neville scored goals for the Lions, and keeper Grant Fielding made a penalty kick save to preserve the lead.
On Friday, the Lady Lions beat Westbrook Christian 4-1.
Oak Mountain
The Oak Mountain girls soccer team notched a 5-0 shutout win over Bob Jones on Tuesday. The boys team played Bob Jones to a 1-1 draw.
On Thursday, the girls team picked up a pair of area wins over Huffman, winning both games 10-0. On Friday, the boys played Hoover to a scoreless draw.
The boys picked up a 4-2 win over Indian Springs on Saturday. The Eagles took a 4-0 lead into halftime, but surrendered a pair of penalty kicks in the final 10 minutes.
Chelsea
The Chelsea girls soccer team defeated Northridge 5-0 on Tuesday. The boys team finished in a 1-1 draw with Northridge.
Spain Park
Spain Park girls soccer coach Robert Starr picked up his 300th career win on Wednesday night. On Thursday, Briarwood defeated the Spain Park boys, 3-2.
On Friday, the girls team fell to Vestavia Hills, 3-0.
TENNIS
On Tuesday, Chelsea boys tennis defeated Indian Springs, while the girls fell to Northridge.
NOTABLE
Freshman and Briarwood alum Sam Strickland was named the Southern Conference Pitcher of the Week. He threw seven shutout innings against Harvard and tallied nine strikeouts in the 8-0 victory.